The car workers arrested in one of the largest ever US workplace immigration raids had violated their visitor visas, officials say.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said 475 people, mostly South Korean citizens, were found to be illegally working at a Hyundai plant in the US state of Georgia on Thursday.
People on short-term or recreational visas are not authorized to work in the US, ICE said, adding that the raid was necessary to protect American jobs.
South Korea, whose companies have promised to invest billions of dollars in key US industries in the coming years, partly to avoid tariffs, has sent diplomats to Georgia, and called for its citizens' rights to be respected.
The arrested workers were being held at an ICE facility in Folkston, Georgia, until the agency decides where to move them next. Of those detained, 300 are reported to be Korean nationals. Hyundai stated that none of the arrested were directly employed by them.
In a statement on Friday, the ICE office in Savannah mentioned that the raid was part of an active, ongoing criminal investigation.
Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Steven Schrank emphasized, We welcome all companies who want to invest in the US. If they need to bring workers in for building or other projects, that's fine - but they need to do it the legal way.
The raid raises questions about the balance between streamlining manufacturing in the U.S. and enforcing immigration laws. Critics have warned of potential ramifications on U.S.-South Korea relations amid President Trump's push to bolster domestic job growth while restricting illegal immigration.
