SEOUL, South Korea — A charter plane departed for the U.S. on Wednesday, tasked with bringing back South Korean workers detained during a major immigration raid in Georgia. The raid occurred on September 4 at a Hyundai battery factory currently under construction near Savannah, where a total of 475 workers were rounded up, over 300 of whom were from South Korea.
Footage released by U.S. authorities depicted some of the detained workers shackled with chains, inciting outrage and concern. Following the incident, the South Korean government successfully negotiated with U.S. authorities for the workers' release.
Reports confirmed that the charter plane took off from Incheon International Airport, located just west of Seoul, early Wednesday morning, and is expected to return with the workers on Thursday afternoon.
This raid, executed by the Department of Homeland Security, was the largest to date in a series of immigration enforcement actions aimed at addressing illegal workforces in sectors such as manufacturing. It specifically targeted Georgia, where numerous large South Korean companies have established operations and future investments are planned. Just weeks prior, South Korea had pledged to invest billions of dollars in the U.S. to facilitate tariff negotiations.
During recent discussions, U.S. President Trump stated that the detained workers were in the U.S. illegally and emphasized the need for collaboration with other countries to train American citizens in specialized fields like battery and computer manufacturing.
