ICE Raid Halts Hyundai’s $4.3bn Georgia EV Plant

Construction at Hyundai’s electric vehicle battery plant in Ellabell, Georgia, has been halted following a historic immigration raid that detained 475 workers, including 300 South Koreans.

The massive raid on September 4, conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies, is the largest of its kind in the U.S. and has raised diplomatic concerns.

Hyundai has said that the opening of the raided plant will be delayed by at least two months. Chief executive José Muñoz told U.S. media: “Minimum two to three months delay [in opening the factory] because now all these people want to get back.” 

None of those arrested were directly employed by Hyundai, the company added, with many working for subcontractors or LG Energy Solution, Hyundai’s partner in the battery venture.

South Korean officials have noted that many of the detained workers were sent to the U.S. temporarily to help set up the factory. The workers are now due to return home following a delayed chartered flight, initially scheduled for Wednesday but postponed to Friday. 

President Lee Jae Myung said that U.S. President Donald Trump had proposed that the workers remain in the U.S. to continue training Americans, “but only one person accepted that offer.”

The raid has sparked diplomatic unease. 

Speaking at a press conference, President Lee warned that if arrangements for temporarily sending workers are no longer allowed, “it would make building factories in the US more difficult… making companies question whether it’s worth doing at all.”

The facility, part of a larger Hyundai complex in Georgia, was originally expected to create 8,500 jobs and is a key component of Hyundai’s $26 billion U.S. investment plan. 

The raid has paused construction at the site, which was scheduled to open this year. Hyundai and LG are now considering how to fill the positions of workers returning to South Korea while maintaining the factory’s construction schedule.

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U.S. officials emphasised that the detained workers were not authorised to work. An ICE statement said the operation aimed to “reduce illegal employment and prevent employers from gaining an unfair advantage by hiring unauthorised workers. 

Another goal is to protect unauthorised workers from exploitation.”

The raid highlights the tension between U.S. immigration enforcement and the country’s drive to attract foreign investment in high-tech industries. 

Hyundai’s Georgia battery plant is part of its broader effort to expand electric vehicle production in the U.S., including the Metaplant America car factory and other associated projects.

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