Detained South Korean Nationals' Return Home Has Been Delayed

About 300 South Korean nationals who were arrested astir a week agone successful a migration ambush connected a Hyundai works successful Georgia were expected to committee a chartered plane connected Wednesday to return to their homeland. But a spokesperson for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport told NBC News that nan “charter formation has been canceled.”

​The formation search website Flightaware shows nan chartered Korean Air formation complete U.S. airspace, but nan airdrome spokeswoman could not corroborate whether nan level is still landing successful Atlanta.

South Korean officials had said they hoped nan level could time off Atlanta arsenic early arsenic Wednesday day section time, soon aft it arrived from Seoul. The workers person been held successful migration detention successful agrarian Georgia since they were arrested successful nan municipality of Ellabell connected Thursday.

But nan overseas ministry told NBC News early Wednesday that nan plane’s departure was apt to beryllium delayed because it “has go difficult owed to circumstances connected nan U.S. side.”

“We are maintaining consultations pinch nan U.S. authorities successful bid to facilitate departure arsenic soon arsenic possible. Further notices will beryllium provided arsenic soon arsenic location are further updates,” nan ministry said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet this greeting pinch South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun astatine nan White House, according to Rubio’s nationalist schedule.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement referred questions connected nan latest developments to nan White House, which did not instantly reply to NBC News.

The South Korean nationals were among nan 475 group federal and migration agents arrested past Thursday erstwhile they raided a building tract successful Ellabell, wherever nan South Korean companies Hyundai and LG Energy Solution were jointly building an electrical conveyance artillery plant.

Video released past week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement showed immoderate of nan South Korean nationals being shackled astatine nan wrists and ankles earlier being placed successful vans.

Steven Schrank, typical supplier successful complaint of Homeland Security Investigations successful Georgia, categorized nan ambush arsenic nan largest single-site enforcement cognition successful nan history of his agency.

According to Schrank and an ICE news release, nan group arrested were moving aliases surviving successful nan state illegally.

Of those detained, 47 were employed by LG Energy Solution and nan remainder were hired by subcontractors. Hyundai said nary of those detained were straight employed by nan company.

Most of nan South Koreans detained were either engineers aliases moving successful after-sales services and installation, according to Atlanta-based migration lawyer Charles Kuck, who is representing astatine slightest 7 of them. He added that galore were doing activity authorized nether nan various visa programs, allowing them to participate nan U.S.

Sarah Park, president of nan Korean American Coalition, said Monday that nan detained workers should not beryllium blamed for nan challenges companies face successful trying to unafraid nan due U.S. visas for labor who are cardinal to getting caller accommodation up and running.

“I wish that Americans successful America would beryllium a small spot much sympathetic to what nan Koreans person witnessed,” James S. Kim, president of nan American Chamber of Commerce successful Korea, said Wednesday successful an question and reply pinch NBC News successful Seoul. “And arsenic agelong arsenic they do that, I deliberation nan 2 countries tin activity together to benignant of mitigate what had happened and move forward.”

South Korea, a cardinal U.S. state successful Asia, has pledged $350 cardinal successful U.S. finance successful speech for a little tariff rate.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that while President Donald Trump understands that companies “want to bring their highly skilled and trained workers pinch them, particularly erstwhile they’re creating very niche products,” he besides “expects these overseas companies to prosecute American workers.”

Federal authorities showed up astatine nan Hyundai-LG works past Thursday to execute a judicial hunt warrant successful relationship pinch what they said was a criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices. No criminal charges person yet been filed.

According to nan warrant, agents were authorized to prehend employment records and migration documents arsenic good arsenic ownership and guidance records related to nan building site. Authorities were besides looking for 4 individuals, but nan reasons why nan national authorities was specifically willing successful them stay nether seal.

On Sunday, U.S. and Korean authorities officials reached a deal to merchandise nan workers from migration custody and return them to their location country.

Consulate officials and different South Korean officials met pinch those detained astatine nan Folkston ICE Processing Center complete nan weekend, Meredyth Yoon, a litigation head astatine Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, which has been assisting detainees and their families seeking ineligible help, told NBC News connected Tuesday.

Yoon said that, arsenic portion of nan deal, astir of nan South Korean nationals had agreed to “voluntary departure,” avoiding general deportation orders.

The South Korean authorities said Tuesday that nan Consulate General successful Atlanta and officials from nan Ministry of Foreign Affairs had provided “active consular assistance to our citizens detained” and assisted successful “consultations pinch nan United States basal for nan early repatriation of each our detainees via chartered flights.”

Yoon said astir 175 of nan remaining detainees — who hail from Guatemala, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, Venezuela and Japan — stay successful migration detention and that her statement is moving connected connecting nan affected families to aid.