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| ▲ This image from a video provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and released by the Associated Press shows manufacturing plant employees waiting to have their legs shackled at Hyundai Motor Group's electric vehicle plant in Ellabell, Georgia, on Sept. 4, 2025. (Yonhap) |
(2nd LD) S Korea-US immigration crackdown
(2nd LD) Detained S. Koreans in Georgia expected to return home on voluntary basis: Seoul
(ATTN: ADDS ministry official's remarks in para 13, Trump's comments in paras 18-20)
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, Sept. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid in the United States are likely to return home voluntarily instead of facing deportation, a foreign ministry official said Monday, as Seoul plans to send a chartered flight after consultations with Washington.
More than 300 South Korean nationals are being held at a detention center in Folkston, Georgia, following Thursday's raid at an electric vehicle battery plant construction site operated by a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution near Savannah.
South Korea's presidential office said Sunday a chartered plane will fly to the U.S. to bring them back home after completing consultations with Washington to resolve the matter.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will fly to Washington via Salt Lake City later Monday to meet officials to "finalize the fundamental issues and ensure that no unexpected issues arise in the process of securing the release of our citizens." a ministry official told reporters.
"We are working with the U.S. to resolve the matter swiftly to make sure that all detained South Koreans can safely return home early," the official said. "Once local procedures are completed, our plan is to bring them all back at the earliest possible date."
A chartered plane is expected to head to the U.S. as early as Wednesday (South Korean time.)
Seoul has been in talks with Washington to arrange the detained South Koreans' return under voluntary departure, as deportation upon release could hinder their future travel to the United States by triggering stricter visa screening or even a travel ban.
Consular officials have so far had meetings with about 250 South Korean detained at the detention facility to check their health conditions and treatment at the center.
"We gather that there has been no unfair treatment of the detained people or any potential violations of human rights," the official said.
Officials will take steps to find out how many of them want to board the chartered plane, starting Monday (U.S. time).
U.S. immigration authorities have reportedly given the detainees two options: accept deportation and take a five-year reentry ban, or remain in custody and stand trial.
Depending on the individuals' visa status, the possibility of entry restrictions upon future visits to the U.S. cannot be entirely ruled out.
"It will depend on the type of visa each individual entered the U.S. with. We are working to ensure that they will not face any disadvantages," the official said, adding that the government respects the U.S. legal procedures.
While in Washington, Cho is expected to request the U.S. consider taking measures to revise the visa quotas and related policy concerning South Korea to prevent similar cases from recurring.
Seoul has consistently called for Washington to expand visa quotas for South Korean workers, but there has been little headway due largely to the growing anti-immigration sentiment in the U.S. and reluctance of U.S. Congress, sources familiar with the matter said.
Countries like Chile, Singapore and Australia secured visa quotas through free trade agreement negotiations with the U.S. back in the early 2000s.
Once the Koreans are released, they are expected to move to Jacksonville International Airport in Florida, about a 50-minute bus ride from the detention center.
Speaking to the press after a visit to the U.S. Open men's tennis final in New York on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has a "great" relationship with South Korea.
"No, we have a great relationship with South Korea, really good relationship," he said when asked if the raid is straining relations with Seoul.
He stressed that foreign businesses should "legally" bring their workers into the U.S. to help train Americans, saying that his administration will look at the "whole situation" regarding the South Korean workers' case.
"We will make it quickly and legally possible for you to do so. What we ask in return is that you hire and train American Workers," he wrote on Truth Social.
U.S. authorities detained 475 people, including about 300 South Koreans, in Thursday's raid as part of an investigation into what it called unlawful workplace practices.
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