At least 475 workers arrested in Ice raid at US Hyundai factory, mostly Koreans

US immigration authorities raided Hyundai’s sprawling electric vehicle manufacturing site in southeast Georgia on Thursday, halting construction of an adjacent battery plant and arresting more than 450 people.

The 3,000-acre site west of Savannah, touted as the largest economic development project in Georgia’s history — employs about 1,200 people and began producing EVs a year ago. Federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant “as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes,” the Department of Homeland Security said.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Atlanta office confirmed its participation, posting on X: “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, emphasising our commitment to community safety.”