A leaked file shows that during the September 2025 ICE raid at Hyundai’s electric vehicle battery plant in Georgia, one worker with a valid visa was incorrectly detained. Nearly 500 workers, mostly South Koreans on short-term business visas or visa waivers, were kept during the raid.
These visas are usually for brief visits or specialized work, not long-term factory jobs. The file admitted that at least one worker with a B-1 business visa had followed all the rules, but he was still treated like a violator and was pressured to either face deportation or fight a long legal case while in detention.
This has raised serious concerns about ICE’s actions, Hyundai’s hiring practices, and the growing use of short-term visas for complicated factory work.
Hyundai clarified in a statement, “None of those apprehended are directly employed by Hyundai Motor Company,” and said it is “dedicated [to] full compliance [with] all laws and regulations in every market in which it operates”.
Diplomatic and Economic Fallout
South Korea condemned the raid, with President Lee Jae Myung calling it an unfair attack on legitimate business interests. The country’s foreign ministry said: “During U.S. law enforcement activities, the economic operations of our investments and the safety and interests of our citizens must not be unjustly impacted”.
The detention of hundreds of workers disrupted construction at Hyundai’s giant new plant with LG, which is meant to create thousands of jobs and boost U.S. electric car production.
The raid quickly hurt U.S.-South Korea relations since South Korea invests billions in the U.S., and seeing its citizens detained caused anger. According to reports from MSNBC, President Lee Jae Myung issued a pointed warning, highlighting potential risks to the $500 billion in planned investments from Korean companies.
The incident also exposed wider complaints from other countries about the U.S. having confusing and uneven immigration rules for skilled foreign workers on short-term contracts.
Legal Gray Areas and Policy Questions
The leaked ICE report has restarted arguments about what foreign workers on business visas are legally allowed to do and who is responsible for ensuring the rules are followed by companies or immigration officials. U.S. authorities said most workers at the Hyundai site were breaking their visa rules.
Still, lawyers argued the rules are often unclear, especially in industries requiring foreign experts to set up advanced machines. In his remarks, Hyundai CEO José Muñoz explained, “For the construction phase of the plants, specialized personnel are essential. There are numerous skills and equipment that are not readily available in the United States”.
An ICE official said: “This was not an immigration action where agents entered the premises, rounded up individuals, and put them on buses,” noting a complex network of contractors and visa arrangements at the site.
In at least one case, records showed a worker was following the visa rules but was still detained, raising concerns about wrongful treatment. The situation has also spotlighted how short-term visas are used in big industrial projects and how difficult it can be for foreign workers to deal with changing U.S. immigration laws.
As those detained now face deportation or long legal battles, the case will influence future debates on immigration policy, global business, and worker rights.