On Thursday, the U.S. released more than 300 South Koreans detained after an immigration raid at a Georgia electric vehicle factory last week. The Korean nationals are now awaiting a flight back home to Seoul.
The South Korean foreign ministry said President Donald Trump delayed their previous flight after he had reportedly considered ways to keep them in the United States.
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On Sept. 4, federal agents raided a Hyundai electric vehicle plant near Savannah, Georgia, and detained 317 South Korean nationals. According to the South Korean Foreign Ministry, one of the freed nationals has requested to remain in the U.S. with family rather than take a “voluntary departure” with 316 others back to Seoul.
What happens now?
The Korean Air flight is set to depart Atlanta at noon ET and arrive in Seoul on Friday, as reported by NBC News.
South Korean officials had anticipated the plane would depart Atlanta as early as Wednesday. Officials said the holdup was “due to circumstances on the U.S. side.”
Trump wanted them to stay
The Washington Post reported that Trump had requested a pause in the repatriation process to negotiate with South Korea over whether the skilled workers who were helping assemble an electric vehicle battery factory could remain in the United States to finish the job.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, however, reportedly told Secretary of State Marco Rubio that it would be best if the workers came home before returning to the U.S. A South Korean official said the workers “were already shocked and exhausted” by the circumstances of their detainment.
The Trump administration agreed to repatriate the South Koreans, and the president ordered that they be taken to the airport without physical restraints, in a break from standard federal immigration enforcement procedures, according to The Post.
South Korean officials have criticized the use of wrist and ankle shackles on the detained nationals that were shown in images of the arrests.
Industry officials told The Post that South Korean firms had sent employees under temporary visa waivers or on short-term business visas to help fill gaps in skilled labor within the U.S.
‘Significant impact on direct investments’
The raid and detainment of South Korean immigrants has sparked concerns about U.S.-South Korea relations. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has said his country’s businesses could be less likely to invest in the U.S.
“I think this will have a significant impact on direct investments in the United States moving forward,” Lee said at a news conference.
“Our companies that have expanded overseas are probably very confused,” he said. “We are not there for long-term research or employment. You need a facility manager to install the machinery and equipment when you establish a factory, right?”
What happened?
The South Korean workers were among 475 people arrested during an immigration raid of the Georgia site where Hyundai and LG Energy Solution are working in coordination to build a factory to manufacture batteries to power electric vehicles from Hyundai’s adjacent plant.
The Trump administration said those arrested were working or living in the country without authorization. The visa statuses of the South Koreans being repatriated are not entirely clear. The Department of Homeland Security said that some workers detained had entered the U.S. illegally, while others were working in violation of their visas and some had overstayed their visas.
The incident has led to South Korean officials calling for reforms to U.S. visa practices or to implement new visa programs to alleviate future controversies.
