Seoul demands protection for nationals, investors as Trump’s immigration crackdown sees hundreds detained in ICE raid.
Published On 5 Sep 2025
South Korea has complained after United States immigration officials detained hundreds of workers during a raid on a Hyundai-LG battery plant being built in the state of Georgia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul on Friday demanded the rights of its investors and citizens be respected following the raid the previous day, which forced construction of the factory to be suspended.
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The episode highlights the disruptive effect President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown is having on his efforts to attract foreign investment. The Hyundai-LG plant is part of the biggest foreign investment in the state of Georgia.
“The business activities of our investors and the rights of our nationals must not be unjustly infringed in the process of US law enforcement,” South Korea’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Lee Jaewoong, said in a statement.
Since Trump returned to power in January, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has been bolstered by record funding and new latitude to conduct raids.
The president has said he wants to deport “the worst of the worst” criminals. But ICE figures show a rise in the detainment of non-criminals.
Lee did not specify exactly how many South Koreans were detained, calling the number “large,” but media reports suggested that 300 or more had been taken into custody.
The Atlanta office of the US Justice Department agency ATF said in a post on X that up to 450 people in total had been detained.
The Korea Economic Daily reported that as many as 560 workers at the Hyundai Motor facility and LG Energy Solution (LGES) had been detained.
Of that number, some 300 are South Korean nationals, according to the Reuters and AFP news agencies, citing South Korean media and unnamed sources.
A South Korean government official told Reuters that the detainees were being held at an ICE detention facility.
Lee said the ministry is taking active measures to address the case, dispatching diplomats from its embassy in Washington and consulate in Atlanta to the site, and planning to form an on-site response team centred on the local mission.
In July, Seoul pledged $350bn in US investment to ease tariff threats from Trump, who was elected last year on a promise to lead the largest migrant deportation programme in US history.
