Hyundai Motor’s battery plant in Georgia is facing an unexpected operational delay of roughly two to three months after a major immigration raid carried out by US authorities. The facility, part of a joint venture with South Korea’s LG Energy Solution, was set to become a cornerstone of advanced EV battery production within a $7.6 billion industrial complex.
Initially scheduled to go live by year’s end, the Department of Homeland Security’s intervention has forced a change of plans. According to US officials, about 475 workers, most of them South Korean nationals, were arrested in what has been described as the largest enforcement action ever at a single industrial site.
Hyundai CEO Jose Munoz said he was caught off guard by the news and immediately sought confirmation on whether Hyundai’s own employees were affected. He later clarified that the majority of those detained were hired primarily by LG suppliers. Munoz explained that in the early construction phases of a battery plant, it is standard practice to rely on highly skilled foreign technicians. Many of the required tools and expertise are not readily available in the US, making specialized international labor critical for projects of this scale.
To cushion the impact of the delay, Hyundai announced that it will temporarily source batteries from other facilities, including a Georgia plant jointly operated with Korean battery maker SK On. This approach will help maintain supply continuity, ensuring the company’s EV expansion plans remain on track.
The fallout from the raid has extended beyond Hyundai-LG operations. According to Reuters, other LG Energy Solution facilities, including those co-owned with General Motors, have also sent some workers home, broadening the ripple effects across the US battery sector.
ICE’s raid on the Georgia plant shows the clash of President Trump’s efforts to boost immigration enforcement and deportations as well as his calls for more domestic manufacturing. Hyundai plant alone was promised to include 40,000 direct and indirect jobs.
