ICE Raid In Hyundai Site In Georgia Included U.S. Citizens And Lawful Permanent Residents

An ICE raid in Georgia at a Hyundai plant in Georgia included U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, according to a Homeland Security Investigations agent.

Overall there were hundreds of arrests, which federal agencies said lead to the "apprehension of 450 unlawful aliens." Many of them were South Korean nationals. The New York Times added that executives and other employees from LG Energy Solution, which makes batteries in the complex also, were among those arrested.

CBS News noted that the site is among the state's largest and most high-profile manufacturing sites, and has even been highlighted by the governor as the biggest economic development project in Georgia history.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), on its end, said agents were executing a search warrant ""as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes."

The South Korean Foreign Ministry, in turn, said in a statement of its own that the "The economic activities of Korean investment companies and the rights and interests of Korean citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon during U.S. law enforcement operations."

"We are actively responding to this incident by dispatching the Consul General of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul and the Consulate General in Atlanta to the site and instructing the formation of an on-site response team centered around the local embassy. In Seoul, we also conveyed our concerns and regrets today through the U.S. Embassy in Korea and urged them to exercise extreme caution to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of Korean citizens are not infringed upon," it adds.