U.S. cracks down on undocumented workers at Hyundai-LG Energy Solutions plant. Yonhap News. 

U.S. authorities announced on the 5th (local time) that 475 people were arrested in connection with the crackdown on undocumented workers at the construction site of Hyundai Motor Group-LG Energy Solution's joint battery plant in Georgia, and that many of them were South Korean nationals.

Steven Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of Georgia and Alabama for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), stated at a briefing on the same day, "Yesterday, HSI, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, executed court search warrants as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of illegal employment practices and significant federal crimes."

He added, "This investigation resulted in 475 arrests, and the focus is on holding violators accountable and upholding the rule of law."

"A majority of the 475 individuals were South Korean nationals," he said. "We do not have exact statistics by nationality at this moment, but we expect to have the relevant data soon."

Special Agent Schrank stated regarding the 475 arrested individuals, "They were either in the U.S. unlawfully or working illegally while violating their visa status."

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted a large-scale crackdown on undocumented workers at the construction site of Hyundai Motor Group-LG Energy Solution's joint battery plant (HL-GA Battery Company) in Savannah, Georgia, the previous day. It is estimated that approximately 300 of those arrested were South Korean nationals.

Yonhap News