Over 300 South Korean workers detained in US immigration raid head home
Workers will arrive in South Korea on Friday on chartered plane a week after being detained at battery factory under construction at Hyundai auto plant in US state Georgia
ISTANBUL
More than 300 South Korean workers who were detained last week in an immigration raid at a Hyundai-LG battery plant in the US state of Georgia headed back home on a chartered plane after their release Thursday, Yonhap News Agency reported.
A total of 316 South Korean nationals left a detention center in Folkston, Georgia.
Along with 14 foreigners, they boarded a Korean Air chartered plane at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta to return home on Friday.
One South Korean citizen opted to stay in the US and take legal action while in custody. He is reportedly seeking permanent residency and has relatives in the US, all of whom hold green cards.
Others chose to leave the US voluntarily instead of being deported. The flight carrying them is scheduled to land at Incheon International Airport west of Seoul on Friday afternoon.
The development came after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said that more than 300 South Korean workers detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will be released Thursday and a chartered plane carrying them will depart Friday and arrive in Seoul in the afternoon.
The departure, initially planned for Wednesday, was delayed after US officials insisted on transporting the workers in handcuffs, he said, adding that Washington reversed the decision after Seoul strongly protested.
He said that Washington reversed its stance after "a directive from the White House."
"President Donald Trump ordered, 'Let them return freely, but those who don't want to go don't have to.' So the process was temporarily halted to change the administrative procedures," he said.
A total of 475 people, including 316 South Koreans, were arrested during the raid at the facility, which is a joint venture between Hyundai and LG touted by Georgia state officials as a landmark investment.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said in 2023 that it would be the "largest economic development project in Georgia’s history."
South Korea in late July pledged a $350 billion investment in the US after Trump agreed to cut tariffs on goods from the Asian country from 25% to 15%.
