Workers detained in a raid at the battery plant on the Hyundai Metaplant campus near Savannah last week were expected to be released to return to South Korea.
Korean Air flew a Boeing 747 that arrived as a charter flight to Atlanta on Wednesday, and the plane was expected to fly the workers back to Korea.
But Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport said the charter flight to transport the detainees from Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon had been canceled. However, plans may change, according to the airport.
Reports said the flight could be rescheduled for Thursday.
South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was talking with U.S. officials about letting the plane return home with the released workers as soon as possible, but that the plane could not depart from the U.S. on Wednesday as South Korea earlier wished because of an unspecified reason involving the U.S. side, according to The Associated Press.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with South Korea Foreign Minister Cho Hyun at the White House on Wednesday morning.
A written statement from a State Department spokesperson said they talked about the alliance between the U.S. and South Korea, Korean investment into the U.S. and Rubio’s “interest in deepening cooperation on this front,” and an agenda to strengthen deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, among other issues. The statement did not mention the raid of the Hyundai site or the detainees.
Hyundai’s factory site includes vehicle production and a battery factory that’s being developed as part of a joint venture with LG Energy Solution.
“Look, we need answers,” said U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in remarks Wednesday. “We need answers, both from Hyundai and LG in response to these allegations of violations at the construction site, and we need more information from the Department of Homeland Security about the raid and who they targeted and on what basis. And, you know, Georgia employers need to follow U.S. labor law.”
Gov. Brian Kemp issued a statement Wednesday afternoon saying Georgia “has always worked to maintain a strong relationship with the Republic of Korea and Korean partners like Hyundai, stretching back 40 years to the establishment of Georgia’s trade office in Seoul.”
“We are thankful they are reiterating their commitment to adhere to all state and federal laws, just as we remain committed to not allowing this unfortunate incident to undo the decades of mutually beneficial partnerships we’ve built together,” Kemp said, adding that the battery facility is part of the largest economic development project in state history.
“As President Trump has also noted, our relationships with the government and businesses of Korea stand on a firm foundation, and we will move forward in building on that foundation,” Kemp said.
South Korean officials said they’ve been negotiating with the U.S. to win “voluntary” departures of the workers, rather than deportations that could result in making them ineligible to return to the U.S. for up to 10 years, the AP reported.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
About 475 workers — including about 300 South Koreans — were detained Thursday after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at the construction site of a battery factory jointly developed by Hyundai, according to officials.
It’s unclear how many people will be released and would board the charter flight.
Documents filed in federal court Wednesday detailed property seized in last week’s raid. Among the materials seized were documents including I-9 forms and computers from Hyundai Engineering America, and documents and computers from other firms identified as Joong Won, Wellins, K-Ensol and Beyond Iron Construction/Steel Brothers.
“We need really high level engagement between the United States and the Korean government in order to ensure that these facilities, which promise to employ thousands of Georgians in manufacturing jobs in the near future, are completed,” Ossoff said.
An article by South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh said release procedures had begun at the ICE detention facility in Folkston, but transportation to Hartsfield-Jackson for the flight was a sticking point.
“While Korean officials offered to provide buses for the detainees, it appears the conclusion reached was for ICE vehicles to ‘escort’ the departing workers to the airport runway,” the article said.
— Staff writer Adam Beam contributed to this article.
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