Two months ago, the colossal Hyundai electric vehicle manufacturing campus near Savannah, Georgia, was plunged into silence following a dramatic immigration raid. That silence has now been broken. The hum of machinery is back on site at the HL-GA Battery Co. factory, signaling a determined resumption of work on one of Georgia’s most significant economic projects.
The incident, a September 4, 2025, blitz by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), resulted in the arrest of roughly 300 South Korean nationals. These specialists, essential for the installation and calibration of complex EV battery equipment, were caught with expired visas or visa waivers that explicitly prohibited employment. The ensuing disruption brought the construction of the vital battery plant to a jarring halt.
Now, HL-GA Battery Co. has announced the timid but confident return of operations. A recovery fueled by a mix of new hires and the return of some of the detained South Korean specialists. The company was effusive in its gratitude, thanking both the US and South Korean governments and Georgia officials “for their collaboration in supporting a smooth and timely return”. The diplomatic dance performed behind the scenes to rectify complex immigration laws and ensure the continuity of this billion-dollar project must have been worthy of a documentary.
While company spokespeople refused to disclose exactly how many of the arrested workers were allowed back, their presence, as confirmed by LG Energy Solution, was sufficient to restart machinery installation and pull the timeline back from the brink. The raid had briefly prompted Hyundai leadership to predict a two-to-three-month delay, underscoring the critical nature of the international expertise required to commission advanced battery manufacturing equipment developed overseas.
The project remains a crucial component of Georgia’s economic future, promising thousands of jobs and positioning the state as an EV manufacturing hub. Despite the interruption, project leaders remain defiantly optimistic. HL-GA Battery reiterated its commitment to hit production in the first half of 2026 and continues to “actively hire local personnel”, aiming for a profitable blend of specialized Korean technology and good Georgian labor.
