Feds search Georgia plant, detain hundreds of South Koreans

Authorities from several U.S. agencies on Thursday apprehended 450-475 illegal immigrants at a Hyundai and LG Energy battery plant in Bryan County, Ga. Rather than a simple immigration enforcement operation, the search was the result of a judicial search warrant obtained after a monthslong criminal investigation, Homeland Security Investigations Atlanta special agent in charge Steven Schrank said at a press conference. No criminal charges have been announced, but many illegal immigrants were encountered as a result of executing the warrant, he said. The Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco shared photos of the raid on social media. More than 300 of the detainees were South Koreans, according to the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency.

South Korean foreign ministry spokesman Lee Jae-woong said the United States must not violate Korean citizens’ rights or interfere with the economic activities of Korean companies, Yonhap reported. The foreign ministry on Friday conveyed its concern and regret over the incident to U.S. ambassadors in Seoul, Lee said. Another outlet, Korea JoonAng Daily, also reported on Lee’s remarks and shared a video of them.

Some of the detained workers entered the United States using B1 visas, issued for business purposes, or under a short-term visa waiver program, according to Yonhap. Those workers whose legal status was unconfirmed were taken to an immigration detention facility, according to the Korea Times. Korean consular officials stationed in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. were dispatched to the detainment area to form a task force, according to the Korea Times.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on a court order allowing Florida immigration detention center Alligator Alcatraz to operate.