Hyundai CEO learned of ICE raid at plant via news
Hyundai's CEO Jose Munoz learned about a major ICE raid at their Georgia EV battery plant—targeting 475 workers, the majority of whom were South Korean—only after seeing it in the news.
The September 2025 raid, which happened while Munoz was in California, is now the largest single-site action by ICE.
He said he likely wasn't notified immediately because the EV battery plant is operated by South Korea's LG Energy Solution.
Plant launch delayed by 2-3 months
The raid led to over 300 workers being detained and deported, setting back the plant's launch by two to three months.
To keep things moving, Hyundai started bringing in skilled staff from other US locations.
Despite this setback, they're investing $2.7 billion more to boost production at Ellabell by 200,000 vehicles a year over the next three years—part of a bigger $10.3 billion plan for the site.
Munoz calls for special visas for foreign experts
Munoz is now calling for special visas so foreign experts can work in the US more easily—a move he says would help avoid situations like this since current rules don't support South Koreans well.
Both US and South Korean governments are talking about ways to prevent future raids after footage of shackled workers raised diplomatic concerns.