South Korea investigates human rights abuses in Georgia Hyundai plant raid

The South Korean government said on Monday it will investigate whether any human rights violations occurred in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia earlier this month. 

During the Sept. 4 operation, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, detained 475 people. As part of an agreement between the Trump administration and the South Korean government, DHS released 330 detainees — 316 South Koreans, 10 Chinese nationals, three Japanese nationals and one Indonesian. They left Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in a plane chartered by South Korea on Thursday.

The 316 South Koreans returned to their home country Friday.

“I understand that the government is conducting a more thorough review with the companies to determine whether any human rights violations occurred," said Kang Yu-jung, a spokesperson for South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, in a press briefing, according to the Yonhap News Agency. 

Earlier this month, Lee called the raid an “unjust infringement on the activities of our citizens and businesses.”

One South Korean recounted to Yonhap inhumane conditions during the search and detention. The person, who was not identified by the outlet, said ICE agents did not inform detainees of their Miranda rights and housed the workers in five 72-person detention rooms after the raid.

The raid concluded a DHS investigation into illegal hiring at the plant. Hyundai, headquartered in Seoul, had partnered with another South Korean company, LG Energy Solution, to manufacture batteries for electric vehicles at the site. Immigration attorney Charles Kuck, who represents four of the detainees, told the Associated Press last week that many of the workers are engineers and equipment installers, who were in the United States on B-1 visas. 

According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), B-1 visas are available to those who are “participating in business activities of a commercial or professional nature in the United States,” including traveling for a conference, negotiating a contract or partaking in short-term training. 

On Sunday, President Trump said he does not “want to frighten off or disincentivize Investment into America by outside Countries or Companies,” on Truth Social. 

“When Foreign Companies who are building extremely complex products, machines, and various other ‘things,’ come into the United States with massive Investments, I want them to bring their people of expertise for a period of time to teach and train our people how to make these very unique and complex products, as they phase out of our Country, and back into their land,” Trump said.

The Hill has reached out for comment to the State Department and Department of Homeland Security.

Updated at 2:07 p.m. EDT