Federal authorities reportedly staged a sweeping immigration raid Thursday at Hyundai’s massive electric vehicle manufacturing site in southeast Georgia, apprehending roughly 450 illegal immigrants in what officials described as a major enforcement action against unlawful employment practices.
The Atlanta office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced the operation on X, writing, “Today, @ATFAtlanta joined HSI, FBI, DEA, ICE, GSP and other agencies in a major immigration enforcement operation at the Hyundai mega site battery plant in Bryan County, GA, leading to the apprehension of ~450 unlawful aliens, emphasizing our commitment to community safety. #ATF.”
The Hyundai Motor Group, a South Korean company, began producing electric vehicles at the $7.6 billion facility one year ago.
The site, which employs about 1,200 people, is also home to a planned electric battery factory under construction with LG Energy Solution.
That project, slated to open in 2026, has now been temporarily halted.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the raid was carried out under a search warrant “as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes.”
Hyundai’s global footprint means the raid drew immediate diplomatic concern. The South Korean Foreign Ministry issued a pointed statement, declaring, “The economic activities of Korean investment companies and the rights and interests of Korean citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon during U.S. law enforcement operations.”
The ministry said it had dispatched officials from Seoul and Atlanta to the site and expressed “concerns and regrets” through the U.S. Embassy in Korea, urging “extreme caution to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of Korean citizens are not infringed upon.”
The local Hyundai-LG joint venture, HL-GA Battery Company, said construction work was suspended. Yet company officials emphasized that normal production continued. “This did not impact people getting to work. Production and normal office hours had already begun for the day,” spokesperson Bianca Johnson said.
For conservatives, the raid underscores President Donald Trump’s pledge to restore workplace enforcement as a central component of U.S. immigration policy.
Since taking office in January, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested 66,463 illegal immigrants and removed 65,682, nearly three-quarters of them with criminal records, according to Border Patrol News.
ICE has also deported 145,419 illegal immigrants from detention centers in that same period, with June marking the highest monthly total at 27,970 removals.
The Hyundai raid illustrates the scale of the challenge facing federal authorities as they seek to curb illegal employment while balancing the economic interests of powerful multinational companies.
Supporters of stricter enforcement argue that unchecked hiring practices not only encourage illegal immigration but also undercut American workers and compromise community safety.
The images of armed federal agents swarming a state-of-the-art factory in Georgia sent a clear message: under Trump, the federal government intends to make workplace enforcement a priority, even when it involves billion-dollar foreign investors.
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