Seoul – South Korea says that the United States agreed to free the hundreds of Koreans trapped in the largest immigration raid last week.
The head of presidential staff of South Korea, Kang Hoon-Sik, said on Sunday that the negotiators were finishing conversations with US officials to ensure the release of workers arrested in a federal immigration repression in a hitter of the LG Energy solution factory and the Hyundai automotive company are building in Georgia.
The workers could return home on a chartered flight as soon as this week, he said.
“The South Korean government will remain on guard and remain in the situation with the responsibility until our citizens have returned safely to home,” Kang said in a meeting with legislators and cabinet officials.
On Thursday, federal agents arrested 475 people at the factory site in Ellabell, Georgia. More than 300 of the detainees were South Korean citizens used by LG and their subcontractors.
The repression occurred as the largest companies in South Korea have promised billions of dollars in new investments to boost their manufacturing operations in the United States as part of a commercial agreement reached by President Trump and his South Korean counterpart Lee Jae Myung earlier this year.
Trump announced at the end of July that tariffs on most imports from South Korea would be only 15% after South Korea agreed to invest $ 350 billion in key US industries. UU. And buy $ 100 billion in its liquefied natural gas.
The fact that the raid pointed to one of the most ambitious investments of Korea in the US At a time when the country is trying to quickly increase its commitments, it caused disbelief and indignation for some in Seoul.
In a press conference held on Sunday, the legislator of the ruling party OH Gi-Hyoung stated that South Koreans should be treated with a level of respect according to the status of their country as an important ally and investor of the United States.
Currently, the United States represents the greatest participation of investments abroad at South Korea, receiving $ 26 billion last year, according to the South Korean Finance Ministry. South Korea is currently from the United States 8th largest Commercial partner, with the two countries that exchange $ 242.5 billion in goods and services last year.
“If the United States really wants to attract investments from South Korean companies, things like this cannot happen,” OH said.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Office of the United States prosecutor in the South District of Georgia said that the operation, which was the raid with a single larger place in the history of the National Security Department, was part of a national initiative to “repel the invasion of illegal immigration” known as the operation to recover the United States.
ICE has said that those arrested were working illegally, many in “short -term or recreational visas”, which do not allow visitors to work.
As of 2022, there were around 110,000 unauthorized South Korean immigrants who live in the United States, which represents 1% of the total, according to the data compiled by the PEW Research Center.
Even if there is a rapid launch of the workers, experts in South Korea said that this hard action could affect the way the Asian nation sees its commercial relationship with the United States.
Industry experts say that repression could lead to logistics challenges for the continuous and future efforts of South Korean companies in the United States.
South Korea recently announced a $ 150 billion project to help relive an American naval construction industry. There are also about 10 other battery plant projects currently currently in the United States.
For years, companies here have sent their own technical specialists to supervise the construction of American factories using non -work travel permits such as this (or the electronic system for travel authorization), a visa exemption that allows tourists to remain in the country for up to 90 days.
Although technically the visas do not allow the headlines to work, “the US authorities tolerated him for a long time,” said Hwang In-Song, an expert in industrial policies of Korea Electronics Technology Institute, a group of government experts.
South Korean companies have complained for a long time that the visas legally required for their sent workers require too much time and challenging to obtain.
For example, the H-1B visa, which allows people to work, is granted through a lottery that is celebrated once a year. And obtaining one has become increasingly difficult under Trump, who has limited his eligibility under the flag of “buying American, hire American.”
“South Korean companies are reluctant to follow that route because it takes at least 8 months of delivery time before you can start working in an H-1B, and there is no guarantee that you get it,” said Chun Jong-Joon, an American Korean immigration lawyer based in Washington.
Hwang said that it is almost impossible to find enough Americans with the necessary skills for southern Korean factories, such as the manufacture of lithium -ion batteries or naval construction.
“From now on, there is no other way than sending specialists experienced in South Koreans to help.”
After the release of detained workers, South Korean officials said they would seek improvements in the United States work permits for South Korean citizens.
Chile, Australia and Singapore have special work visas programs that allow their citizens to work on specialized roles in the United States.
Until then, arrests at the Georgia battery plant will probably mean months of expensive delays, since the joint company struggles to deploy workers again.
“In the case of LG Energy Solutions, they will have to think twice before sending their workers to the Georgia plant,” Hwang said.
