Hundreds Of South Korean Nationals Detained In Largest Single-site Immigration Raid

Federal and migration agents arrested 475 group while executing a judicial hunt warrant astatine a Hyundai installation successful Georgia as portion of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices.

Everyone arrested, astir of them South Korean nationals, were "illegally coming successful nan United States aliases successful usurpation of their beingness successful nan United States, moving unlawfully," said Steven Schrank, typical supplier successful complaint of Homeland Security Investigations successful Georgia, successful a property convention Friday morning.

This is nan largest single-site enforcement cognition successful nan history of Homeland Security Investigations, Schrank said, adding it “underscores our committedness to jobs for Georgians and Americans."

A oversea of agents from HSI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and different national agencies showed up Thursday to a building tract successful nan municipality of Ellabell, wherever South Korean companies Hyundai and LG Energy Solution are jointly building a caller artillery works next to their manufacturing installation for electrical vehicles.

Videos connected societal media showed agents lining up hundreds of workers astatine nan building site. Schrank said they questioned everyone astir their migration status, reviewing their documents and conducting inheritance checks.

"This was not a migration cognition wherever agents went into nan premises, rounded up folks and put them connected buses. This has been a multimonth criminal investigation," Schranck said.

No criminal charges successful relationship to nan ongoing investigation person been revenge arsenic of Friday morning.

The South Korean authorities responded to nan detentions of galore of their nationals successful a connection earlier connected Friday.

“In nan people of U.S. rule enforcement, nan economical activities of our finance firms and nan authorities and interests of our nationals must not beryllium unjustly infringed upon," said Lee Jae-woong, a spokesperson for South Korea's overseas ministry. "We conveyed our interest and regret to nan U.S. Embassy coming and urged them to return typical attraction to guarantee that nan morganatic authorities and interests of our nationals are not violated.”

Jae-woong added that an on-site task unit will beryllium established successful Georgia pinch nan thief of nan South Korean consulate successful Atlanta.

A Hyundai spokesperson told NBC News successful a connection Friday that nan institution is "closely monitoring nan business and moving to understand nan circumstantial circumstances."

"As of today, it is our knowing that nary of those detained is straight employed by Hyundai Motor Company. We prioritize nan information and well-being of everyone moving astatine nan tract and comply pinch each laws and regulations wherever we operate,” nan connection reads.

According to Schrank, nan workers arrested astatine nan building tract were employed by a web of various contractors and subcontractors, which investigators are looking into.

They each stay successful ICE custody aft astir of them were brought to nan Folkston migration processing halfway successful Georgia pursuing their arrests, Shrank said.