South Korea will bring home 300 workers detained in massive Hyundai plant raid in Georgia

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🗞️ Driving the news: South Korea has secured the release of over 300 nationals detained during a large-scale U.S. immigration raid at Hyundai’s electric vehicle (EV) plant in Georgia
• The workers—part of a 475-person group detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—will be repatriated via a chartered flight, following high-level negotiations between Seoul and Washington

• The plant, a joint project between Hyundai and LG Energy Solution (see sustainability performance), is a major U.S. manufacturing investment and remains under construction

🔭 The context: The raid—part of the Trump administration’s renewed mass deportation push—sparked diplomatic tension, given South Korea’s role as a strategic U.S. ally and investor
• Seoul recently committed $350 billion in U.S. investment and $100 billion in energy purchases
• The incident follows a bilateral summit between President Donald Trump and President Lee Jae Myung in Washington just two weeks ago
• ICE officials claim many of those detained had expired or inappropriate visa statuses, but no charges have been filed

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The raid underscores the complex intersection between immigration enforcement and clean energy industrial policy
• Hyundai’s Georgia plant is central to U.S. efforts to scale domestic EV production and reduce reliance on foreign supply chains
• The incident risks chilling international investment in green industries if foreign partners fear workforce disruption due to immigration enforcement, potentially slowing progress on climate goals.

⏭️ What's next: South Korea’s Foreign Minister will travel to the U.S. this week to formalize the workers' release and discuss reforms to prevent future incidents
• Seoul has called for greater legal clarity on visa protocols tied to large-scale foreign investments
• The U.S. is reviewing visa policy for industrial training programs, with President Trump suggesting limited short-term exemptions to facilitate knowledge transfer in EV and battery technologies
• The Homeland Security investigation into Hyundai’s labor practices remains ongoing

💬 One quote: “We must ensure that the rights of our nationals and the economic activities of Korean companies are not unfairly infringed upon in the process of U.S. law enforcement,” said South Korean President Lee Jae Myung

📈 One stat: The Hyundai EV plant raid involved 475 detentions—making it one of the largest immigration enforcement actions at a U.S. industrial site in over a decade

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