Operation Low Voltage: Georgia’s Hyundai EV Plant Raid Sparks Diplomatic Showdown and Visa Reform Demands.
Nearly 300 South Korean workers detained at Georgia’s Hyundai–LG EV battery plant are slated for release after the largest federal workplace immigration raid in U.S. history—“Operation Low Voltage”—sparked international tension and a race to reform visa policy. Flag of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) What Happened? On September 4, 2025, U.S. federal agencies stormed the sprawling Hyundai–LG battery plant near Savannah, Georgia, detaining around 475 individuals in a thunderous display of immigration enforcement muscle. More than 300 of those detained were South Korean nationals, many employed by subcontractors supporting the plant’s rapid construction—not Hyundai or LG itself. For a plant once touted as a shining symbol of “clean energy” investment, the optics quickly shifted from “green jobs” to “orange jumpsuits.” Behind the Headlines: Why Is South Korea So Alarmed? South Korea called the raid an “unexpected breach” and immediately set its diplomats sprinting to Washington. Seoul ...