"30 Korean Workers Detained in Georgia Return to U.S. Site"

Existing Visas Reinstated... Governor's Office Announces Start of Short-Term Dispatch
NYT: "Many Korean Workers Do Not Wish to Return"

On November 13 (local time), The New York Times (NYT) reported that more than 30 out of 317 Korean workers who had been detained and released by U.S. immigration authorities in September at the Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution joint battery plant (HL-GA) construction site in Georgia, have recently returned to the site. The Donald Trump administration, which had previously enforced strict immigration policies even at sites of economic cooperation with allied companies, has since shifted its stance to address the situation. However, some workers have stated that they do not wish to re-enter the United States and are preparing a class action lawsuit.

According to Kim Minsoo, a worker who was detained during the immigration crackdown, the visas of about 180 workers who had been staying in the U.S. on B-1 (short-term business) visas have been reinstated, and at least 30 of them have returned to the plant. Kim is currently conducting a survey of the detained Korean workers in preparation for the class action lawsuit. Two lawyers representing the detained workers also told the NYT that all B-1 visa holders among them have had their visas restored. One Korean worker received an email from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on October 14 confirming the validity of their visa.

In September, employees at the Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution battery plant construction site were detained at the Folkston Detention Center in Georgia following a crackdown by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Photo by Yonhap News.

Local media outlet Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) also reported that LG Energy Solution has confirmed the return of experts in various fields to the plant site. The office of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp also announced that the short-term dispatch of essential skilled technicians has begun.

On September 4, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided the HL-GA plant construction site in Georgia, detaining about 450 workers, including 317 Koreans who had entered the country on B-1 visas or under the visa waiver Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), considering them illegal immigrants. This indiscriminate immigration crackdown at a site of economic cooperation with an allied company heightened uncertainty regarding investment in the United States.

The Trump administration, which had maintained a hardline stance on immigration enforcement, initially defended the crackdown but later changed its position. Some of the detained Korean workers have re-entered the U.S. on B-1 visas, and the U.S. Embassy has confirmed the validity of existing visas, signaling a shift in U.S. policy.

This change is also evident in President Trump's recent remarks, which appear to distance himself from the Georgia detention incident. In a Fox News interview on November 11, President Trump mentioned the Georgia case, saying, "They brought in about 500 to 600 people in the early stages to make batteries and teach others how to do it," and added, "But then they tried to kick them out of the country." He also stated, "When a country comes in and invests $10 billion to build a plant, you can't just take people from a list of unemployed who haven't worked in five years and say, 'Now let's make missiles.' You have to bring in talent."

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the Korea-U.S. Business Visit and Visa Working Group meeting on September 30, the U.S. side reaffirmed that Korean companies can use B-1 visas for activities such as installation, inspection, and maintenance of overseas-purchased equipment during investment in the U.S., and that those entering under ESTA can engage in the same activities as B-1 visa holders.

However, the NYT reported that a considerable number of Korean workers do not wish to return to the United States. Kim said that those who have returned to the Georgia site are not employees of LG Energy Solution, but rather subcontractors or freelance workers, and that he himself, who had been staying on a B-1 visa, has no immediate plans to return. He stated, "It seems the B-1 visa issue has been resolved, but I am not inclined to go back to the United States," adding, "If I were to be detained again, I would have to reconsider whether to continue working in this industry."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.