Federal agents storm Georgia's Hyundai plant site, detain ‘450 unlawful aliens’

US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official said multiple US agencies “conducted a judicially authorised enforcement operation.”

Updated on: Sep 5, 2025, 11:30:29 IST

By HT News Desk

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Up to 450 “unlawful aliens” have been detained at an under-construction Hyundai Motor facility in Georgia, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said on Friday.

The detentions were made as part of a major raid by US law enforcement and immigration authorities. (File Photo / Representational)

The detentions were made as part of a major raid by US law enforcement and immigration authorities, Reuters reported.

An agent at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said multiple US agencies "conducted a judicially authorised enforcement operation, as we are actively conducting an investigation into unlawful employment practices."

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"Arrests are being made," Steven Schrank, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations for Georgia, said in a news briefing aired on local US television.

The Atlanta office of the US Justice Department agency ATF reported the raid in a post on X.

As per a Korean news report, about 30 South Korean nationals had been detained at the site in the raid.

Also Read | US intensifies crackdown on illegal immigrants, grants agents ‘special powers’

The site is a joint venture battery production facility of South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution (LGES) and Hyundai Motor that is due to start operations at the end of this year, according to LGES.

A spokesperson at the Hyundai-GA battery company said in a statement that it was "cooperating fully with the appropriate authorities regarding activity at our construction site" and that it had paused construction work to assist.

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HT News Desk
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