Hyundai has pledged $21 billion in new projects between 2025 and 2028
A rural stretch outside Savannah, Georgia, has become the focus of global attention after federal agents raided a Hyundai battery plant, which was under construction, and detained 475 workers.
The move clashes with President Donald Trump’s push to attract US investment from foreign companies with the immigration crackdown.
The facility, part of a $12.6 billion Hyundai–LG joint venture, was expected to produce nearly half a million vehicles annually and employ 8,500 workers by 2031. Of the workers detained, more than 300 were South Korean nationals.
Officials said the raid followed a months-long probe into unlawful employment practices, calling it the largest single-site Homeland Security operation in history.
According to the Wall Street Journal, South Korea did not receive advance notice of the raid.
Tension between allies
South Korean companies have poured billions into the US, making them the top foreign investors in 2023; in July, the country pledged $350 billion.
Hyundai alone has committed $21 billion in new projects between 2025 and 2028.
But the arrests have rattled relations between Washington and Seoul. The South Korean foreign minister is arriving in Washington today to discuss ways to avoid such incidents.
Locally, reactions are divided. Some labor groups argue unauthorized workers are taking promised jobs, while business owners benefiting from Korean investment fear lasting damage.
For Ellabell residents, the raid underscored tensions over rapid industrial growth and the strains it has brought to their once quiet community.