‘It felt like a war zone:’ Georgia raid sends shockwaves through Korean-American community
When federal immigration agents stormed the Hyundai-LG battery plant construction site on September 4, hundreds of workers fled in panic. Some scaled fences. Others hid in air ducts.
“It felt like a war zone,” said Kim, a project manager for a Korean-American subcontractor, who asked to be identified only by his surname due to privacy concerns.
GO DEEPER: Inside the raid: How a monthslong federal immigration operation led to 475 arrests at a Hyundai plant in Georgia – via CNN
“We thought we came here to help build Georgia’s largest factory. What we faced instead felt like a military raid.”
The early morning raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) resulted in the detention of 475 workers, including over 300 South Korean nationals, many of whom had entered the United States on business or short-term work visas. What began as a flagship economic development project for Georgia has now become the flashpoint of an immigration, political, and diplomatic crisis.
A Community in Shock
“This wasn’t about safety. It was about fear, exploitation, and politics.”
So said Rep. Sam Park (D-GA), Georgia’s only Korean-American state legislator, during a press conference held by the Korean American Association of Greater Atlanta (KAAGA).
Park condemned the scale and method of the operation. “Workers are being punished while political and corporate leaders remain untouched.”
At the same event, Rep. Matt Reeves (R-GA) acknowledged the community’s concerns and called for “transparency and justice,” noting the potential for wrongful detentions.
Rep. Soo Hong (R-GA), also Korean-American, issued a statement saying she is “closely monitoring the situation” and emphasized the raid was conducted “under a judge-signed warrant.” She pledged to work with federal agencies to ensure fair treatment.
Silence from the Top
While community leaders spoke out, Governor Brian Kemp—who previously called the Hyundai-LG plant “the centerpiece” of Georgia’s economic development—and Senator Jon Ossoff, a vocal advocate of Korean investment, have yet to issue statements.
Their silence has not gone unnoticed.
Governor Kemp celebrated this plant as his legacy project. Why is he silent now that it’s become a humanitarian crisis?” said a senior official at the Korean American Association of Greater Atlanta, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue. “This is a betrayal. When things go wrong, leadership should step up—not disappear.”
Legal and Humanitarian Fallout
The legal consequences are severe. Under U.S. immigration law, many of the detained workers may be subject to expedited removal, which permits deportation without a hearing and includes a minimum five-year reentry ban.
“We are not denying that some visa issues may exist,” said Joshua Wie, an immigration attorney with over two decades of experience assisting Korean immigrants in Georgia.. “But that does not justify treating engineers and technicians as criminals. This is a legal and humanitarian crisis.”
KAAGA and the Korean American Bar Association of Georgia(KABA-GA) are now coordinating legal representation and support for the detainees at the Folkston ICE Processing Center, where many are currently being held.
More Than a Raid—A Defining Moment
The Hyundai-LG plant was intended to symbolize the future of clean energy manufacturing in the Southeast. Instead, it now symbolizes a fracture—between immigrant communities and law enforcement, between U.S. rhetoric and reality, and between two nations caught in the crosshairs of domestic politics.
“America wanted our investment,” said Eun Seok Park, president of KAAGA. “Then it must also allow us to bring the people who make that investment possible—skilled personnel with the know-how and tools to get the job done. The visa issue needs to be addressed.”
Courtrooms will decide the legal questions, and diplomats will navigate the politics. But in Georgia’s Korean-American community, the more challenging task remains—rebuilding a trust that may not return anytime soon.
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