WASHINGTON: Hundreds of workers at a Hyundai Motor car battery facility under construction in Georgia were detained in a major raid by US authorities late on Thursday, stopping work on a plant that is one of the South Korean automaker’s major investments in the United States.

About 475 workers were arrested, making it the largest single-site enforcement operation in the US Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) history.

President Donald Trump’s administration has been escalating a crackdown on immigrants, disrupting businesses around the country, even as the White House has encouraged more inflows from foreign investors.

The arrests could exacerbate tensions between Washington and Seoul, a key ally and investor in the US. The countries have been at odds over the details of a trade deal that includes $350 billion of investments. Just last month, South Korea pledged $150bn in US investments — including $26bn from Hyundai Motor — at a summit.

Homeland Security officials said the workers it arrested were barred from working in the US after crossing the border illegally or overstaying visas. The investigation took place over several months, Steven Schrank, special agent in charge of investigations for Georgia, said during a press briefing.

“This was not an immigration operation where agents went into the premises, rounded up folks and put them on buses,” he said.

Under Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a part of DHS, has driven the Republican leader’s sweeping crackdown on migrants, bolstered by record funding and new latitude to conduct raids.

Trump has said he wants to deport “the worst of the worst” criminals, but ICE figures have shown a rise in non-criminals being picked up.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2025