DHS Arrest 475 People During Immigration Raid At Georgia Auto Plant
By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
September 6, 2025
ELLABELL, GA. The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that a massive immigration raid at a Hyundai Metaplant resulted in the arrest of 475 employees of the plant.
The majority of those arrested Thursday at the enormous site in Ellabell – about 25 miles west of Savannah, Georgia – are Korean nationals, said Steven Schrank, a Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge. Schrank said he did not have a breakdown of the arrestees’ nationalities.
Federal law enforcement conducted investigations which showed that there were a large number of undocumented immigrants being employed at the plant prior to conducting the raid on the plant.
All 475 people taken into custody were suspected of living and working illegally in the US, Schrank said. Some had entered into the US illegally; some had visa waivers and were prohibited from working; and some had overstayed their visas, he said.
During the raid, several people tried to flee including some who “ran into a sewage pond located on the premises,” the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia said in a news release.
“Agents used a boat to fish them out of the water. One of the individuals swam under the boat and tried to flip it over to no avail. These people were captured and identified as illegal workers,” the release states.
Schrank noted that some of the workers may have been contractors or subcontractors.
“We continue to work on the investigation of who exactly worked for what companies,” he said.
A Hyundai spokesperson said that he does not believe anyone arrested was a direct employee of Hyundai Motor Company but that most were subcontracted employees.
“Hyundai is committed to full compliance with all laws and regulations in every market where we operate. This includes employment verification requirements and immigration laws,” the company said in a statement Friday night.
Hyundai Motor North America Chief Manufacturing Officer Chris Susock will now manage the mega site, and an investigation will be conducted to verify that suppliers and subcontractors comply with laws, according to the company.
“We are reviewing our processes to ensure that all parties working on our projects maintain the same high standards of legal compliance that we demand of ourselves. This includes thorough vetting of employment practices by contractors and subcontractors,” the company said, adding, “Hyundai has zero tolerance for those who don’t follow the law.”
However, federal law enforcement stated that they are also continuing their investigation into how so many undocumented persons were hired to work illegally at the Hyundai plant.
The sprawling, 2,900-acre Hyundai Metaplant has two parts: a Hyundai electric vehicle manufacturing site, and an EV battery plant that’s a joint venture between Hyundai and LG.
The raid halted construction of the EV battery plant, The Associated Press reported.
“This was not an immigration operation where agents went into the premises, rounded up folks and put them on buses,” Schrank said. “This has been a multi-month criminal investigation where we have developed evidence, conducted interviews, gathered documents and presented that evidence to the court in order to obtain judicial search warrants.”
At the Georgia site, masked and armed agents gave orders to construction workers wearing hard hats and safety vests as they lined up while officers raided the facility, video footage obtained by CNN showed.
ICE and Homeland Security Investigations were accompanied by the Georgia State Patrol, the FBI, DEA, ATF and other agencies in executing a search warrant.
“Together, we are sending a clear and unequivocal message: those who exploit our workforce, undermine our economy, and violate federal laws will be held accountable,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
A search warrant filed Tuesday in the Southern District of Georgia reveals that officials sought records related to “violations of conspiracy to conceal, harbor or shield” people in the US illegally. The sought-after records included employment and recruitment records, correspondence with federal officials and identification and immigration documents. The warrant also identified four people specifically to be searched.
Georgia Governor Kemp stated that “In Georgia, we will always enforce the law, including all state and federal immigration laws,” a Kemp spokesperson said. “The Department of Public Safety coordinated with ICE to provide all necessary support for this operation, the latest in a long line of cooperation and partnership between state law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement.”
In a televised statement Friday, a spokesperson for Korea’s Foreign Ministry said “many of our nationals were detained” in the raid, according to a translation from Reuters.
“The economic activities of our companies investing in the United States and the interests of our citizens must not be unduly violated during the course of US law enforcement,” spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said. “In Seoul, we also conveyed our concerns and regret through the US Embassy today, urging special attention to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of our citizens are not violated.”
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