Federal agents detained 475 workers at Hyundai’s $12.6 billion electric vehicle battery plant site near Savannah, Georgia, in what authorities described as the largest single-site immigration raid in the history of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Largest Operation in HSI History

Steven Schrank, special agent in charge of HSI Atlanta, said the arrests followed a months-long investigation into undocumented labor at the 3,000-acre Hyundai Metaplant campus in Bryan County.

“This, in fact, was the largest single site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations across the country,” Schrank stated during a news conference in Savannah.

The raid involved a criminal search warrant at the joint Hyundai–LG Energy Solutions battery facility. Construction was halted at the battery site but did not affect Hyundai’s adjacent EV vehicle assembly plant, which began operations in October 2024.

Workers, Companies, and National Tensions

Officials confirmed that a “majority” of those arrested were Korean nationals. No Hyundai employees were among those detained, according to the company. Executives from Hyundai and LG said they were cooperating with investigators.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson reinforced the administration’s stance: “Any foreign workers brought in for specific projects must enter the United States legally and with proper work authorizations.” She added that President Trump intends to maintain strict enforcement of immigration law while promoting U.S. business competitiveness.

The South Korean government voiced concern. Lee Jaewoong, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in Seoul that “the economic activities of our investment companies and the rights and interests of our citizens must not be unjustly violated during U.S. law enforcement proceedings.”

Political Fallout in Georgia

Georgia Democrats criticized the raid. Charlie Bailey, chair of the state’s Democratic Party, called it “politically-motivated fear tactics designed to terrorize people who work hard for a living, power our economy and contribute to the communities across Georgia.”

Governor Brian Kemp, who previously championed Hyundai’s expansion to Georgia with a taxpayer-backed incentive package estimated at $1.8 billion, reiterated that “all companies operating within the state must follow the laws of Georgia and our nation.”

Safety and Labor Scrutiny

The raid adds to longstanding scrutiny of Korean automakers’ labor practices in Georgia. Past lawsuits have accused Hyundai, Kia, and affiliates of exploiting Mexican engineers through misleading job offers and poor working conditions.

Construction at the Bryan County site has also faced safety concerns. Public records show three deaths and 15 serious construction-related injuries since work began. Schrank noted that many arrested workers were subcontracted through third-party labor firms, complicating accountability.

Next Steps

Most detainees were transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Folkston, Georgia, which is expanding capacity from 1,100 to nearly 3,000 beds.

Schrank emphasized that this raid differed from “sweeps,” saying it was “a multimonth criminal investigation where we have developed evidence, conducted interviews, gathered documents and presented that evidence to the court.”

The arrests highlight the complex intersection of immigration enforcement, global supply chains, and EV industry growth. As Hyundai ramps up production at its Georgia facility, questions remain about labor practices, worker protections, and the broader impact on U.S.–South Korea economic ties.

Would you like me to adapt this article for DroneXL with a focus on how heightened immigration enforcement and labor investigations could disrupt EV supply chains, and in turn, impact the drone battery sector, which relies heavily on the same Korean battery makers (LG, SK, Samsung)? That would connect it directly to the drone industry.

Photo courtesy of Hyundai.