The Global Story Why is the US government deporting people building factories?
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Sep 9, 2025 Nick Beake, a BBC Verify correspondent, shares on-the-ground insights from the recent immigration raid at the Hyundai factory in Georgia, where hundreds of South Korean workers were detained. Jake Kwon, a producer at BBC Seoul, offers the South Korean perspective, highlighting the diplomatic fallout and the emotional turmoil experienced by families. They discuss how this incident complicates U.S.-South Korea relations, scrutinizing the tension between enforcing immigration laws and the need for skilled labor in American manufacturing.
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From White House Promise To ICE Raid
- President Biden announced Hyundai's $10bn investment to build EVs in Savannah, promising thousands of American jobs.
- That project later became the site of a large ICE raid detaining hundreds of workers, many South Korean.
Dramatic Multagency Raid Described On Site
- ICE arrived at the Hyundai-LG site in a large convoy with masked agents from multiple agencies.
- Agents lined up about 475 people, handcuffed many, and marched detainees onto buses.
Raid Halted A Major Construction Project
- The battery facility dominates the landscape and construction halted after the raid.
- Cranes and diggers stood idle, turning a major economic project temporarily silent.