These highly skilled engineers believed they were contributing directly to President Trump’s vision of revitalizing American manufacturing.
Among them were veterans like Park Sun-kyu, who had built electric car battery plants from Indonesia to Ohio. Kim Min-su’s expertise spanned similar facilities in Poland, Ohio, and Tennessee. Nate Cho, an HVAC specialist, had even contributed to a nuclear power plant in the UAE and a Samsung chip factory in Texas.
These three, all South Korean nationals, had recently returned to the United States. They were part of a contingent of hundreds working at Hyundai’s vast 2,900-acre electric vehicle manufacturing complex in southeastern Georgia, completing a crucial battery factory. This project had been lauded by the state governor for creating thousands of new jobs for local residents.
Then, on the morning of September 4th, as Mr. Park was training a colleague on a complex computerized system, a U.S. agent burst into the office, gun drawn, and ordered everyone out.
Mr. Kim recounted being in a “dry room,” meticulously maintaining conditions for battery production, when chaos erupted. A security manager called to report a raid by armed officers, who quickly fanned out across the entire facility.
Mr. Cho said he was reviewing his team’s balance sheets in his office when he witnessed helicopters and armored vehicles converging outside.
They were quickly swept up in what U.S. officials termed the largest Homeland Security enforcement operation ever at a single location. The workers were held in shackles and detained for a week under what they described as deplorable conditions, leading to accusations of human rights abuses against U.S. authorities.
This raid represents a direct clash of Mr. Trump’s immigration and trade policies, deeply unsettling South Korea, a vital U.S. ally. South Korean diplomats engaged in a week of intense negotiations with Washington, ultimately securing the workers’ repatriation.
Days after their return, six individuals interviewed by The New York Times were still grappling with the trauma. Mr. Park, for instance, is seeing a doctor due to severe sleep disturbances.
“My primary lesson from this experience is that America is not a safe place to work,” Mr. Park stated. “I don’t foresee myself returning there for work.”
A Disconnect in U.S. Policy
The United States and South Korea share profound ties, bolstered by a military alliance spanning decades, which made the raid even more shocking to many Koreans.
The repatriated workers felt their ordeal stemmed from a fundamental contradiction between American aspirations and actions.
For decades, South Korean corporations like Hyundai have established and run factories in the U.S. More recently, Washington has pressured South Korea to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in new factories, using the leverage of potential tariffs on South Korean exports.
However, industry insiders argue there aren’t enough skilled workers in the U.S. willing to construct these factories at competitive wages. Additionally, Washington has not issued a sufficient number of work visas for foreign specialists. Last week, President Trump further complicated matters by imposing substantial fees on new H-1B visa applicants.
To bridge this gap, many South Korean companies, including those contracted by Hyundai and LG for the battery factory, employ a rotation system for their workers. These individuals enter the U.S. on short-term business or tourist visas, sometimes operating in a legal gray area.
U.S. and South Korean authorities have not disclosed the specific visa statuses of the 317 Koreans arrested on September 4. However, five of the six engineers interviewed by The Times held six-month B-1 visas, typically for consulting with business associates. One traveled under the 90-day visa-waiver program (ESTA), which permits travel for business or pleasure. All affirmed they were on business trips, paid by their South Korean employers.
“We understood we were navigating a gray zone between legal and illegal,” admitted Mr. Park, who meticulously avoided hands-on tool work to comply with his B-1 visa terms. “Our plan was to complete our assignment in two to three months, return home, and then make another trip to the U.S. after a similar interval.”
The Raid Unfolds
Over 400 U.S. agents descended upon the Ellabell complex that Thursday morning.
They first separated U.S. citizens from non-citizens. Then, they processed individuals on ESTA, B-1, and B-2 visas (for tourists), directing them to fill out worksheets requiring personal information and questions about their legal entry into the U.S. These forms were only available in English and Spanish; with no Korean translators provided, English-speaking workers stepped forward to assist.
It was previously reported by The Times that at least one individual, despite being in the country legally, was compelled to leave.
Mr. Kim, 34, initially remained calm, even when he and his colleagues were instructed to place their belongings into mesh bags. He recalled an agent assuring him, “I will let you go home.”
The atmosphere shifted drastically when those on ESTA, B-1, and B-2 visas were issued arrest warrants, handcuffed, chained, and transported by bus to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Folkston, Georgia.
The Korean workers continue to question why they were arrested based on their visas, and why they were never explicitly informed of which laws they allegedly violated.
They wondered why they, who were actively contributing to the local economy by creating jobs, were being detained.
“We were not there to settle down as permanent workers,” stated Mr. Cho, 55.
Mr. Kim explained that for subcontractors like him, the objective was to complete their work as quickly as possible. “If you miss the target date, it means more cost for you because you are not paid for the extra months you work,” he elaborated.
Allegations of Abuse
Inside the detention center, workers described being segregated into five “pods,” each housing up to 80 individuals. Meals consisted of an apple and ham-and-cheese sandwiches, or occasionally meat gruel with rice or baked beans. Drinking water was dispensed from fountains or communal containers. Along one wall, shower stalls, urinals, and toilets were present, with only a low partition and curtain separating the toilet users from the communal area.
Since their repatriation, several dozen workers have formed a chat group to discuss their claims of human rights abuses. They assert that authorities never read them their rights or provided reasons for their arrest. With their cellphones confiscated, they were unable to contact their families, employers, or lawyers. The phones available at the detention center did not allow international calls.
They reported various grievances, including foul-smelling drinking water, moldy mattresses, dusty blankets, excessively cold air conditioning, and delayed responses to medical requests.
One worker in the chat group accused guards of making racist gestures by pulling their eyes sideways. “The racial discrimination and sneering — and how the United States viewed us — will linger long in my heart,” the worker wrote.
South Korea’s foreign ministry has announced an investigation into these allegations of human rights abuse. The U.S. Embassy in Seoul did not respond to requests for comment.
The workers stated that U.S. officials who interviewed them individually at the detention center offered a choice: either agree to voluntarily depart the United States for violating their admission terms or remain and contest their cases in court.
Mr. Kim recalled an American officer warning him that legal proceedings could span months. The South Korean government offered similar advice. Ultimately, all but one of the Korean detainees opted for voluntary departure.
Even at the last moment, one point of contention remained: U.S. officials insisted on handcuffing the workers for their four-hour bus journey to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport before their flight home. South Korean officials protested this. However, many workers, weary of their detention, expressed to visiting South Korean diplomats that they simply wanted to return home as soon as possible, with or without handcuffs.
The South Korean government ultimately prevailed, and the workers were not handcuffed. Additionally, Washington reportedly pledged not to penalize the workers should they attempt to re-enter the United States after the visa dispute is resolved.
However, not all are eager to return.
Mr. Cho, conversely, said he would have gone back to the factory immediately from the detention center if permitted.
“My pride is secondary to completing the work I’ve committed to,” he affirmed.
The battery factory, initially expected to be operational by the end of the year and poised to create 400 new jobs, is now delayed by at least several months.
Ashley Ahn and Jin Yu Young contributed to this report.