BRYAN COUNTY, Ga. – One year after federal agents raided the Hyundai megasite in Bryan County and arrested 475 workers, no charges have been filed in connection with the case, according to the Department of Justice.<\/p>\n
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FILE – This image from video provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via DVIDS shows manufacturing plant employees waiting to have their legs shackled at the Hyundai Motor Group’s electric vehicle plant, Sept. 4, 2025, in Ellabell, Ga.(Corey Bullard | Corey Bullard\/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via AP, File)<\/p>\n
A DOJ spokesperson confirmed to WTOC Investigates that no charges have been filed. Federal court records show the case as closed.<\/p>\n
Raid details<\/p>\n
Homeland Security Investigations called the September 4, 2025 operation the largest single-site enforcement action in the agency\u2019s history. Search warrants said the federal government was investigating a conspiracy at the megasite to harbor undocumented workers and other illegal employment practices.<\/p>\n
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:<\/p>\n
In addition to the arrests, agents seized employment eligibility verification documents, computers and storage drives.<\/p>\n
Around 475 workers were arrested by ICE. The companies that hired the workers have faced no consequences.<\/p>\n
International response<\/p>\n
The raid became an international issue after it was discovered that about 300 of the detained workers were South Korean. The South Korean government reached a deal with the United States to send those workers home.<\/p>\n
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung condemned the raid and said it could deter future Korean investment in the United States.<\/p>\n
Workers who were not South Korean were turned over to the immigration system without diplomatic intervention.<\/p>\n
Candidate reaction<\/p>\n
Corey Foreman, a Democratic candidate for Georgia Senate District 1, was at the megasite during the raid.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it comes to the workers, if they\u2019re held accountable, why are the people who hired them not held accountable?\u201d Foreman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you truly want to fix an issue, then it doesn\u2019t just stop at the individual. It starts with the company. You know, these people came over here to work or started participating in these jobs based off the company. If the company didn\u2019t exist, then they wouldn\u2019t have been there to start with. So I think the oversight is the largest thing we needed, and I don\u2019t think the state gave it,\u201d Foreman said.<\/p>\n
WTOC Investigates reached out to the White House to ask what policy changes were made after the raid but did not receive a response. WTOC also reached out to Hyundai, which did not answer questions and instead sent a statement highlighting its economic investment in the region.<\/p>\n
With a lack of public accountability for Hyundai, Foreman says he hopes to see lessons learned from the raid taken into consideration as other major projects move into the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere needs to be oversight and there needs to be proper planning. Right now, it\u2019s not, you know, have the ribbon cut and think about it afterwards. It needs to be done from the beginning and carried through to the end of construction. And without that, then this is what causes harm and repeats the same steps that we saw with Hyundai,\u201d Foreman said.<\/p>\n
Incumber Republican state Senator Ben Watson provided a statement saying the raid was not handled properly, but he disagrees with Foreman\u2019s stance on immigration.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we can both agree that it was not handled properly. But where Mr. Foreman and I disagree is on protecting our borders. I believe we need to stop illegal immigration, while he has endorsed essentially an open borders policy. Neither of us want to see what happened at the Hyundai plant again.\u201d<\/p>\n
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