Arrested on charges of illegal overstaying while working in a foreign country… Released after 7 days.
Dragged away with hands and feet tied, suffering in poor facilities… Delayed release, another shock
(Los Angeles = Yonhap News) Correspondent Im Mi-na = About 300 Koreans who were working hard in the United States, a faraway land, were arrested in a raid by U.S. immigration authorities and released a week later.
The bus carrying them left the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Folkston, Georgia, on the 11th (local time) and departed for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
The release comes a week after federal agents raided the Hyundai Motor Group-LG Energy Solution joint battery plant construction site in Ellerbel, Georgia, and detained the workers.
According to the operation video released by ICE on the 4th and US media reports, US authorities mobilized helicopters to raid the Hyundai Motor Group-LG Energy Solution work site, confirmed the employees' immigration status, lined up most of the employees around a bus, and tied chains to their legs and hands before loading them onto the bus one by one.
Korean workers who had been sent to faraway countries and worked hard were suddenly treated as criminals, arrested, and taken to detention facilities.
One worker at the scene told CNN that US authorities stormed in"like a war zone."
A Korean employee who was not arrested because he had a valid visa told the BBC that his colleagues were dragged away without even being able to take their phones, saying,"All the phones rang at the same time and a work stoppage message came out."
Those arrested were taken to the ICE Processing Center in Folkston, Georgia, where conditions have been criticized.
The Atlanta office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) announced in a post on its X (formerly Twitter) account that day that it had"conducted a large-scale immigration enforcement operation" at the Hyundai Motor Company battery plant construction site, along with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), ICE, and the Georgia State Patrol.
The very next day, HSI announced that it had arrested 475 people at the site, saying it had"executed a court-ordered search warrant as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged illegal employment practices and serious federal crimes."
HSI officials said those arrested either entered the U.S. illegally or were working illegally while in violation of their immigration status.
Our government immediately held an emergency response meeting and began responding to the situation, and on the local level, a consul from the Consulate General in Atlanta began interviewing approximately 300 Koreans detained in ICE detention facilities on the morning of the 6th, the third day after the incident.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has established an on-site response team headed by Consul General Jo Gi-jung of Washington and has begun responding in earnest.
On the 7th, Korean time, Chief of Staff to the President Kang Hoon-sik announced that negotiations for their release had been concluded with the United States regarding this situation, and that a chartered plane would depart to bring them back to Korea as soon as administrative procedures were completed.
Consul General Jo Gi-jung of the United States met with reporters at the ICE detention facility in Folkston on the afternoon of the 7th (US time) and said,"We are thinking of Wednesday (the 10th) as the time for the Korean workers to return home."
On the same day (the 7th in US time), US President Donald Trump said in response to reporters' questions about this incident,"We have a very good relationship with South Korea," and "If this country doesn't have people who know about batteries right now, we should help them bring some people (to the US) and train our people to do complex work, whether it's manufacturing batteries, manufacturing computers, or building ships."
President Trump also emphasized,"We have many industries we no longer have. We need to exchange people," adding weight to the outlook that the situation will not worsen further.
Afterwards, the Korean Air charter flight to repatriate the Korean workers took off from Incheon International Airport at 10:21 AM on the 10th, Korean time, and the departure time of their return flight was reported to be around 2:30 PM on the 10th, US time (3:30 AM on the 11th, Korean time).
However, the atmosphere abruptly changed when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the afternoon of the 10th (Korean time),"Due to US circumstances, the departure of our citizens detained in Georgia on the 10th local time has become difficult." This came as yet another shock, along with concerns that issues arose during negotiations with the US.
Fortunately, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with Korean reporters at the U.S. Embassy in Washington, D.C. on the 10th (U.S. time) and said,"Our citizen who is currently detained can return home on a chartered plane tomorrow (the 11th), and I confirmed once again (with the U.S.) that no handcuffs will be placed in the process."
Minister Cho met with U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio for about 20 minutes, and then met with Andy Baker, Deputy National Security Advisor and National Security Advisor to the Vice President, and finalized related discussions, it said.
Additionally, Minister Cho explained that the Koreans detained in this incident will not face any disadvantages when entering the U.S. in the future.
President Lee Jae-myung announced at a press conference marking his 100th day in office on the 11th (Korean time) regarding the schedule for the release and return of the Korean workers,"They are scheduled to depart from the detention facility at 3 p.m. Korean time (2 a.m. on the 11th, local time)." He added,"The plane will take off around 1 a.m. tomorrow (noon on the 11th, local time) and arrive in Seoul in the afternoon."
Korean workers who suffered while detained in foreign countries can finally return to their homeland with relief.
mina@yna.co.kr
