South Korean Workers Detained in Immigration Raid to Fly Home from Atlanta
Buses transporting South Korean workers detained during an immigration raid at a battery factory in Georgia are heading to Atlanta, where a charter plane awaits to take them home.
More than 300 Koreans were among about 475 workers detained during the raid at the battery factory under construction on the campus of Hyundai’s sprawling auto plant west of Savannah.
The group also includes 10 Chinese nationals, three Japanese nationals, and one Indonesian.
South Korean officials have been negotiating with U.S. authorities to secure ‘voluntary’ departures for the workers, rather than deportations, which could make them ineligible to return to the U.S. for up to 10 years.
South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung has called for improvements to the United States' visa system, stating that Korean companies may hesitate to invest in the U.S. until then.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that U.S. authorities have released the 330 detainees—316 of them Koreans—and that they are being driven by bus to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where they will board a charter flight scheduled to arrive in South Korea on Friday afternoon.
During a visit to Washington, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and expressed concern over the public disclosure of the workers' arrests, which caused significant distress among the South Korean community.
The group also includes 10 Chinese nationals, three Japanese nationals, and one Indonesian.
South Korean officials have been negotiating with U.S. authorities to secure ‘voluntary’ departures for the workers, rather than deportations, which could make them ineligible to return to the U.S. for up to 10 years.
South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung has called for improvements to the United States' visa system, stating that Korean companies may hesitate to invest in the U.S. until then.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that U.S. authorities have released the 330 detainees—316 of them Koreans—and that they are being driven by bus to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where they will board a charter flight scheduled to arrive in South Korea on Friday afternoon.
During a visit to Washington, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and expressed concern over the public disclosure of the workers' arrests, which caused significant distress among the South Korean community.
