South Korea president bearish on U.S. investment after ICE raid

South Korean companies are hesitant to increase their investment in the United States after many South Koreans were detained last week in an immigration raid, President Lee Jae-myung said Thursday. Companies could face roadblocks or losses when expanding in the United States, he said, according to a translation of his remarks by the Korea Herald. South Korea reached a trade agreement with the United States in late July that included a pledge to invest $350 billion in the U.S. economy—though Lee recently visited President Donald Trump to renegotiate some terms.

Immigration authorities from several U.S. agencies last Friday apprehended at least 450 illegal immigrants at a Hyundai and LG Energy battery plant in Bryan County, Ga. About 300 of them were South Korean citizens, Lee said, according to the Korea Herald. The search followed a monthslong criminal investigation, Homeland Security investigative agent Steven Schrank said at a press conference.

When will the detained South Koreans be released? They were expected to leave a Georgia detention center around 3 p.m. Friday and arrive in Seoul on a chartered plane the following afternoon, Lee said. Their departure was pushed back a day because U.S. officials at first wanted to transport the workers in handcuffs, while South Korea strongly objected, Lee claimed, according to the Korea Herald. U.S. officials later reversed their decision, allowing one worker to stay in the United States, Lee said.

Dig deeper: Read my report on the raid on the Georgia battery plant.