ICE arrests at a Georgia Hyundai plant create new tension with South Korea

South Korea’s foreign minister is considering a trip to the U.S. to meet with the Trump administration after hundreds of South Korean nationals were arrested in Georgia this week at an electric vehicle battery plant.

“We are deeply concerned and feel a heavy sense of responsibility over the arrests of our nationals,” Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said at an emergency meeting in Seoul, according to the national Yonhap News Agency.

He said South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called for all-out efforts to swiftly resolve the matter, Yonhap reported, “stressing that the rights and interests of South Korean nationals and the business operations of South Korean companies investing in the United States must not be infringed upon.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 475 people, most of them South Korean nationals, in a raid Thursday at a massive electric vehicle battery plant under construction in Ellabell, Ga., near Savannah. The plant is a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution.

ICE released video of what officials say is the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of the Homeland Security Investigations. It shows officers shackling workers and loading them onto Georgia prison buses.

“This operation underscores our commitment to protecting jobs for Georgians and Americans,” said Steven Schrank, special agent in charge of homeland security investigations for Georgia and Alabama, during a news conference announcing the operation. “We are sending a clear and unequivocal message that those who exploit our workforce, undermine our economy and violate federal laws will be held accountable.”

He said it was not an operation where agents simply rounded up people and put them on buses, but the result of a months-long investigation. The workers, Schrank said, were either illegally present in the U.S. or working unlawfully.

The arrests add to tension with a key ally at a time when President Trump has been pushing for trade deals and more South Korean investment in the U.S. Hyundai also has an auto plant in Montgomery, Ala., and has announced plans to invest more than $5 billion in a steel plant in Louisiana.

“I would say that they were illegal aliens, and ICE was just doing its job,” Trump said when asked about the raid at the White House on Friday.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia says the raid raises questions about both the president’s immigration strategy and how the firms were able to allegedly employ workers without proper documentation.

“Companies should not be able to get rich in Georgia by exploiting immigrant workers and putting them at risk of politically motivated raids and violations of due process,” Warnock said in a statement. “It’s bad for our economy, bad for Georgia’s workers, and bad for law-abiding Georgia families living in fear of this administration.”

Hyundai Motor Co. says it’s working to understand the specific circumstances of the arrests.

“Based on our current understanding, none of those detained is directly employed by Hyundai Motor Company,” the company said in a statement, promising an internal investigation into employment compliance.

“Hyundai has zero tolerance for those who don’t follow the law,” it said.

In a statement to Yonhap on Saturday, LG Energy Solution said it has suspended all business trips to the U.S. and told workers visiting the U.S. to stay in their accommodations or return to South Korea immediately. The company said its chief human resources officer is heading to the U.S. to address the issues on site.

“We will make every effort to promptly resolve the situation, including ensuring the speedy and safe return of all employees,” LG Energy Solution said.

Georgia officials have touted the Hyundai Metaplant America site as a game changer for the state. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has said it has provided “historic benefits” and new opportunities for workers. In a statement, a spokesperson for Kemp’s office said: “In Georgia, we will always enforce the law, including all state and federal immigration laws” and noted that the state Department of Public Safety coordinated with ICE to support the operation. It said the Georgia National Guard is also providing administrative support to ICE.

The immigration crackdown is also drawing support from Republican U.S. Senate candidate and Congressman Buddy Carter, whose district includes the plant site in Ellabell, Ga.

“I applaud the Trump Administration and our brave law enforcement officers for taking bold action to put American workers first and protect our communities from the scourge of illegal immigration,” Carter said in a social media post. “For anyone who thinks they can take jobs from hardworking Americans and give them to illegal immigrants, take note: not under Donald Trump’s watch.”