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Still not back to normal: Companies reflect on aftermath of 'Georgia crackdown'

Published: 23 Nov. 2025, 17:24

Workers at the joint battery plant for LG Energy Solution and Hyundai Motor, who had been detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, reunite with their families at Incheon International Airport on Sept. 12. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Two months have passed since over 300 Korean workers were detained by U.S. federal agents in an immigration crackdown at the joint battery plant for LG Energy Solution and Hyundai Motor in Georgia. U.S. President Donald Trump declared that Korea and the United States have “worked it out,” but is this true?

With the industry trying to recover from the so-called “Georgia crackdown” — and experts struggling to solve fundamental issues that remain largely unaddressed — the incident still seems to haunt Korean companies.

Back to normal? Not quite yet.

As of Thursday, fewer than 100 engineers from LG Energy Solution and its partner companies have returned to the plant even after their short-term business visas (B-1 or B-2) were reissued, according to industry sources. This represents about one-third of the number needed for full operations at the plant.

The key concern is the absence of a clear position from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

U.S. government guidelines in place at the time of the arrests in September already outlined the scope of work permitted under B-1 and Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) visas. U.S. Customs and Border Protection allowed the installation, maintenance and repair of equipment purchased from a foreign company under B-1 visas, while the State Department authorized those activities under ESTA visas.

However, ICE did not follow these guidelines during the September raid — a key reason the industry sees the agency as holding the decisive power.

U.S. President Donald Trump applauds at the ″Winning the AI Race″ summit in Washington on July 23. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Still no final verdict

Diplomatic discussions have made some headway. Both governments established a “visa working group” between their respective foreign ministries to clarify the scope of permitted activities under existing visa categories. At the request of companies, the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly relayed these guidelines to ICE and the U.S. government through the Korean Embassy in Washington.

“I said [to ICE], 'Stop it. Don't be stupid,'” Trump said regarding the Georgia raid on Nov. 19. “And we worked it out, and now they [Koreans] are teaching our people how to do it.”

But despite these reassurances, ICE has yet to issue a formal directive, leaving Korean companies and engineers anxious about potential future raids.

Due to lingering uncertainty, LG Energy Solution continues to allow only volunteers from partner firms to return to the United States rather than mandating a full workforce redeployment. Some engineers have refused to return from fear of being redetained or trauma from the first detention. Others have left their jobs altogether.

“Our technicians, their families and our company all want clarity, but for now, we’re left with little more than vague hopes that there won’t be another crackdown,” said an executive at one partner company.

Detainees are made to stand against a bus before being handcuffed in a raid by federal agents, during which about 300 Koreans were among 475 people arrested at a $4.3-billion joint battery plant for LG Energy Solution and Hyundai Motor in Ellabell, Georgia, on Sept. 4. [REUTERS]

Time is money

Concerns also remain about delays in the production schedule. The plant was in the final stages of commissioning critical equipment — like notching and stacking systems — that was essential for precision cutting and layering battery electrodes. These tasks require highly trained engineers and cannot easily be filled by short-term or newly trained staff.

The delays could disrupt the entire production timeline. What was initially projected as a two-to-three-month delay now has no clear end in sight. If mass production is postponed, the joint venture risks losing benefits under the Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit, set to expire in 2032. The ripple effects would include reduced revenue for LG Energy Solution, disruptions to Hyundai’s electric vehicle supply chain strategy in the United States and payment delays for partner companies.

In September, ICE raided the joint venture construction site and detained 317 Korean workers — 46 from LG Energy Solution, 204 from partner firms and 67 subcontracted by Hyundai Engineering — on charges of unauthorized employment. Footage of workers being taken away in handcuffs and reports of poor detention conditions sparked outrage. After a week of negotiations between the two governments, the detained workers were repatriated.

“The diplomatic messaging and the situation on the ground are still disconnected,” said an industry insider requesting anonymity. “Until ICE provides a definitive policy interpretation, we cannot consider the situation normalized.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM SU-MIN [[email protected]]