ICE raid at Hyundai Georgia plant strains U.S.–South Korea ties
A Sept. 4, 2025 U.S. immigration enforcement raid at a Hyundai/LG battery factory in Ellabell, Georgia — part of a $4.3 billion project — led to roughly 475 arrests, about 300 of them South Korean workers. The Christian Science Monitor reports that the enforcement action has provoked strong public and political anger in South Korea, complicating trade negotiations and large Korean investment pledges (cited at $350 billion) and raising doubts about Hyundai’s ability to staff planned U.S. facilities such as an upcoming Louisiana steel plant.
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🔍 Key Facts
- ICE conducted a raid at a Hyundai/LG Energy Solution battery plant in Ellabell, Georgia on Sept. 4, 2025; about 475 people were arrested.
- Approximately 300 of those arrested were South Korean nationals, prompting significant public shock and diplomatic concern in Seoul.
- The raid threatens to sour trade and investment discussions — the article links it to a broader $350 billion South Korean pledge to support U.S. industrial projects and notes Hyundai Steel’s planned factory in Donaldsonville, Louisiana.