Some South Korean Workers Return to Georgia Factory After U.S. Reissues Visas

South Korean workers began returning to a factory in Georgia last month after the State Department reissued their visas, as the Trump administration seeks to undo the damage from a large workplace immigration raid.

About 180 people who were in the United States on B-1 business visas have had them restored, said Kim Min-su, who was among those detained in the raid on Sept. 4 in southern Georgia. Two lawyers representing the workers confirmed that all the B-1 visa holders who were detained — out of 317 South Koreans detained in total — had their visas restored.

At least 30 of those workers have gone back to the battery plant, which is owned by Hyundai and LG Energy Solution, said Mr. Kim, who has surveyed the South Korean ex-detainees in preparation for a class-action lawsuit against U.S. immigration authorities over their detention. His account was corroborated by screenshots and photos shared with The New York Times that show visa renewals for two of the workers.

One person whose visa was revoked on Sept. 27 had it reissued on Oct. 22, the documents show. Another worker asked the U.S. Embassy in Seoul about his visa status and received an email on Oct. 14 stating that his visa was valid.

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In response to questions about the workers, the State Department said in a statement that it was providing visas to support South Korean investments in the United States and to allow short-term entry for people with special skills. {snip}

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The Trump administration has sought to distance itself from the raid, which came amid its nationwide crackdown on immigration. President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea, where the raid stirred up public anger, said it was a violation of the workers’ rights and would discourage companies from investing in the United States.

The timing was especially awkward for Mr. Lee, who had just met President Trump at the White House and pledged to invest $350 billion in the United States in return for lower tariffs on South Korean exports.

U.S. authorities detained a total of 475 workers in the raid and sent them to a detention facility that was described as unsanitary. Homeland Security officials called it the largest detention of immigrants at a U.S. workplace ever and accused them of being in the country illegally or working unlawfully.

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U.S. officials agreed to allow the workers to return later. But many workers said they did not want to go back to the United States. The raid brought construction to a halt at the factory for some time, though Hyundai said the plant was still on track to open in the first half of 2026.

In October, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said that the United States had agreed to allow people to work at industrial sites on B-1 short-term business visas or on a visa waiver program called the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA, which permits certain business activities.

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