Hyundai battery plant construction restart to take months, after US immigration raid

Detainees are made to stand against a bus before being handcuffed, during a raid by federal agents during a raid on a Hyundai Motor construction site in Georgia, USA, where about 300 South Koreans were among 475 people arrested. (Image: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo)

The facility, part of a $7.6bn joint venture between Hyundai and LG Energy Solution, was targeted last week in what US officials described as the largest single-site enforcement operation in the Department of Homeland Security’s history. Around 475 workers were arrested, including more than 300 South Koreans, over suspected visa and immigration violations.

Munoz said the company was surprised by the operation and had sought assurances that Hyundai employees were not directly involved. Speaking at on the sidelines of an automotive conference in Detroit USA, stressed that the workers affected were mainly employed by LG suppliers, according to Reuters. He added that overseas expertise was often required during the construction phase of advanced battery facilities.

The Georgia plant was due to begin production later this year as part of Hyundai’s wider expansion in electric vehicles. Until the site comes online, the company will draw battery supply from other US plants, including its joint venture with SK On.

Hyundai Motor Group executive chair Euisun Chung described himself as “really worried” by the incident, but welcomed the decision by US and South Korean authorities to repatriate the workers and explore a new visa system for future projects.

Reuters reporting that other LG-related facilities, including plants co-owned with GM, have also sent workers home.