ICE conducted a massive raid at a Hyundai battery factory in Georgia that has the potential to ratchet up tensions between the U.S. and South Korea.
The Atlanta office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms announced in a social media post on Thursday night that it had conducted a “major immigration enforcement operation” at the battery plant, leading to the arrest of “450 unlawful aliens.”
A Korean media source reported that the total number detained could be as high as 560, about 300 of which are South Korean nationals.
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The ATF post indicated that at least six federal law enforcement agencies were involved in the raid in Bryan County, making it one of the largest workplace raids conducted since the start of the administration. Local police also assisted in the operation.
According to the Wall Street Journal, some of the hundreds of people detained were Korean nationals—including employees of another South Korean company who were visiting the plant on business travel.
The factory where the raid took place is under construction, and will be jointly operated by Hyundai and LG Energy Solution, a South Korean battery manufacturer.
It is part of a $12.6 billion investment by Hyundai into Georgia, which the state has called “the largest economic development project in the state’s history.”
The auto giant recently opened a car factory in the same area as the battery factory that was raided, its first in the U.S.
The wave of arrests also comes just weeks after the U.S. and South Korea agreed to a trade deal to dodge the most aggressive American tariffs. Instead of the proposed 25 percent tariff, President Trump agreed to reduce the tariff rate to 15 percent in exchange for $350 billion in South Korean investments in the U.S.
Hyundai said in a statement reported by the Journal that none of those detained were directly employed by the company, while LG Energy said that it was cooperating with authorities to achieve the release of its employees from detention.
The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement confirming that Korean nationals were detained and expressing its concern about the raid.
“The economic activities of our companies investing in the United States and the interests of our citizens must not be unduly violated during the course of US law enforcement,” a spokesperson wrote.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has yet to comment publicly on the raid, which took place as she was touring a new ICE detention facility dubbed “Louisiana Lock-up” (while sporting a $50,000 Rolex watch).
Noem and President Donald Trump have set the ambitious goal of deporting 1 million people a year during his second term, which would require deporting almost 3000 people per day.
To achieve such lofty numbers, ICE has turbo-charged its recruitment efforts by releasing flashy advertisements, expanding the age of eligibility, and offering perks like student loan relief and a $50,000 signing bonus.
The agency’s efforts have succeeded in recruiting MAGA celebrities like Dean Cain, but a former ICE director told Time this month that it could take up to three years to recruit the 10,000 agents that DHS aims to hire.
The administration also suffered a setback last week when a federal judge blocked the government from using an expedited removal process that allows migrants to be deported before they see a judge.
It is unclear how many of the battery plant workers detained on Thursday will ultimately be removed from the country.
LG Energy’s stock price opened the day down 2 percent. The South Korean firm is one of the largest battery companies in the world.
The Daily Beast has contacted ICE and DHS for comment.
