SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — On Wednesday, a South Korean charter plane took off for the United States to retrieve Korean workers caught in an immigration crackdown in Georgia. The raid, conducted on September 4 at a battery factory being built near Hyundai's sizable auto plant west of Savannah, resulted in the detention of 475 individuals, with over 300 of them being South Korean nationals. Reports included distressing footage of some detainees appearing in shackles, highlighting the seriousness of the situation.
The South Korean government reported a swift resolution, stating it reached an agreement with U.S. officials to secure the release of these workers. South Korean television broadcast images of the charter plane departing Incheon International Airport on Wednesday morning, with plans to return home with the detainees on Thursday afternoon.
In what has been described as a significant action by U.S. Homeland Security, this raid falls within the context of the Department's intensified focus on immigration enforcement as part of its mass deportation strategy. Georgia has been a focal point due to a growing presence of South Korean businesses invested in the region. This comes after South Korea pledged substantial investments in the U.S., amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars, with the hope of negotiating favorable tariff agreements. Notably, the two nations’ leaders, U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, had recently conducted a summit on August 25.
Trump remarked on the situation claiming the detained workers were there illegally and emphasized the need for collaboration with other nations to train U.S. workers in specialized sectors like battery and computer manufacturing.
The South Korean government reported a swift resolution, stating it reached an agreement with U.S. officials to secure the release of these workers. South Korean television broadcast images of the charter plane departing Incheon International Airport on Wednesday morning, with plans to return home with the detainees on Thursday afternoon.
In what has been described as a significant action by U.S. Homeland Security, this raid falls within the context of the Department's intensified focus on immigration enforcement as part of its mass deportation strategy. Georgia has been a focal point due to a growing presence of South Korean businesses invested in the region. This comes after South Korea pledged substantial investments in the U.S., amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars, with the hope of negotiating favorable tariff agreements. Notably, the two nations’ leaders, U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, had recently conducted a summit on August 25.
Trump remarked on the situation claiming the detained workers were there illegally and emphasized the need for collaboration with other nations to train U.S. workers in specialized sectors like battery and computer manufacturing.
