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South Korea scrambles to free citizens after ICE Hyundai raid; Trump calls them ‘illegal aliens’
US ICE agents detained about 475 workers, which included more than 300 South Koreans.
South Korea has pledged full support for the release of its nationals detained in a large-scale immigration raid at a Hyundai Motor facility in Georgia, even as US President Donald Trump defended the crackdown, describing the workers as “illegal aliens.”
South Korean Presidential chief of staff Kang Hun-sik said on Sunday that a plane would be dispatched to bring back the workers once administrative procedures are completed. “The government will make all-out efforts for their safe return,” Kang said in televised remarks, cited news agency Reuters.
Earlier on Saturday, President Lee Jae Myung had ordered swift action after hundreds of Koreans were arrested in the raid. Foreign minister Cho Hyun confirmed that a special task force had been set up to respond to the detentions and said he was prepared to travel to Washington “if necessary” to negotiate with US officials.
The statement came as several arrests took place on Thursday at a Hyundai Motor car battery plant near Savannah, Georgia. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained about 475 workers, which included more than 300 South Koreans.
Trump defends ICE action
When asked about the raid, Donald Trump said on Friday: “I would say that they were illegal aliens and ICE was just doing its job.”
The US department of homeland security confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained about 475 workers, including more than 300 South Koreans, in what it described as the largest single-site enforcement operation in its investigative history.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor said on Sunday it had dispatched a senior human resources executive to Georgia “to ensure the swift and safe release of those detained.” The company also pledged to review its suppliers and subcontractors to verify compliance with US regulations.
‘Regrettable’
Several video footage and photographs showed armed agents supported by helicopters and armored vehicles while workers in Hyundai and LG CNS vests were lined up outside the factory.
Condemning the the US government's release of images of the arrest, First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo, in a phone call with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, called the incident “regrettable.”
A foreign ministry's statement cited by Reuters, said, During the call, Park stressed that the arrests came “at a critical time, when the momentum of trust and cooperation between the two leaders, forged through their first summit, must be maintained.” He also urged Washington to ensure “a fair and swift resolution.”
US-South Korea ties
The raid comes shortly after Seoul and Washington concluded a trade deal involving a $350 billion fund to support Korean companies entering the US market.
South Korea’s presidential office said on Sunday it would explore reforms to the visa system for Korean workers in the United States to “prevent a similar incident.”
The Republican President may visit South Korea in October to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, CNN reported. The meeting can be an opportunity to reinforce bilateral cooperation amid the fallout from the Hyundai raid.
(With Reuters inputs)
