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| ▲ Steven Schrank, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations for Georgia speaks during a press briefing on Sept. 5, 2025, in this photo captured from a livestream of WTVC News Channel 9. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
US-immigration crackdown
U.S. raid on Korean plant site results in arrest of 457 people, majority S. Koreans: official
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 (Yonhap) -- U.S. authorities confirmed Friday that their raid on a South Korean electric vehicle (EV) battery plant construction site in Georgia this week resulted in the arrest of 475 people, a majority of them South Koreans, as they conduct a major immigration crackdown.
Steven Schrank, special agent in charge of Homeland Security investigations for Georgia, made the remarks during a press conference, a day after the raid at the site operated by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution Ltd. in Bryan County, west of Savannah.
Schrank said that Homeland Security Investigations, an agency under the Department of Homeland Security, in cooperation with other law enforcement agencies, executed a search warrant as part of a criminal probe into allegations of "unlawful employment practices and serious federal crimes."
"The investigation resulted in the arrest of 475 individuals and is focused on ensuring accountability for those who violate the law, and upholding the rule of law," he said.
A diplomatic source in Seoul said that of the total, more than 300 workers are South Korean nationals.
Schrank said that the 475 people were illegally present in the United States, including some who illegally crossed the border into the U.S.; some who came in through a visa waiver program that prohibits them from working; and some who had overstayed their visas.
Those taken into custody include subcontractors working for a variety of different companies, the official said, noting that those who were illegally in the U.S. are in the custody of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations. ICE stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Most of those arrested were brought to the Folkston Immigration Detention Center in Folkston, Georgia last night. They will be moved based on their individual circumstances, the official said.
Asked if there was any injury reported during the raid, the authorities said that there were no "substantial use of force," and that there were no injuries reported other than an individual who was "overheating" and one agent who suffered a minor laceration.
The authorities cast the raid as "the largest single site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations."
South Korea's foreign ministry has voiced "concern and regret" over the raid, saying that the people's rights must not be unfairly infringed upon.
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