(TNND) — Over 300 South Korean workers that were detained during a massive immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia will be released and sent home, the South Korean government announced on Sunday.
The chief of staff for President Lee Jae Myung, Kang Hoon-sik, said that South Korea and the U.S. finalized negotiations on the workers’ release leading to the announcement. Hoon-ski said South Korea plans to send a charter plane to bring the workers home as soon as the administrative steps are completed.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is expected to depart for the U.S. on Monday to engage in talks related to the workers’ releases, according to South Korean media reports.
U.S. immigration authorities said on Friday that they detained 475 people, most of them being South Korean nationals, during the raid at Hyundai’s manufacturing site in Georgia where the Korean automaker makes electric vehicles. The plant federal agents targeted is still under construction and being made in partnership with LG Energy Solutions to produce EV batteries.
The Hyundai plant is the latest in workplace raids conducted by federal agents as part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation plan. However, this raid was especially distinct because of its large size and the face that state officials have long considered the site Georgia’s largest economic development project.
Many in South Korea were surprised by the raid because of the country’s allyship with the U.S. In July, South Korea agreed to purchase $100 billion in U.S. energy as well as make a $350 billion investment in the U.S. in exchange for lower tariff rates. Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump and Lee held their first meeting in Washington.
Following the raid, Lee said that the rights of South Korean nationals and economic activities of South Korean companies must not be unfairly infringed upon during U.S. law enforcement procedures. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry expressed “concern and regret” over the incident in a statement and sent diplomats to the site.
Most of the detainees were taken to an immigration detention center in Folkston, Georgia. None have been charged with any crimes, according to Steven Schrank, the lead Georgia agent of Homeland Security Investigations.
Kang said that South Korea will push to review and improve visa systems for those traveling to the U.S. on business or investment related trips.