Hundreds of South Korean workers detained in a recent US immigration crackdown in Georgia will head home aboard a chartered plane on Wednesday afternoon, diplomatic sources said, following a dayslong diplomatic push to secure their safe return.
Some 300 South Korean nationals were set to depart Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities in Folkston, Georgia, on Wednesday morning and depart via a chartered flight around 2:30 p.m., six days after they were arrested in a major US immigration crackdown at a South Korean electric vehicle battery plant construction site in Bryan County.
They will travel by bus to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, about a five-hour drive, and board a chartered flight home, sources with knowledge of the matter said.
But it was not immediately clear whether all of the detained people had agreed to board the flight. A Seoul official said earlier those with foreign nationalities may also fly back on the same plane.
A Korean Air plane from Seoul is expected to depart for Atlanta on Wednesday morning. The Boeing 747-8i seats 368 passengers.
US immigration authorities arrested 475 people, including some 300 South Koreans, at the joint venture site run by Hyundai Motor Co. and LG Energy Solution Ltd. last Thursday in what they called an investigation into unlawful workplace practices.
Seoul has been stepping up negotiations with Washington to secure their release and safe return, seeking to ensure their departure is treated as voluntary and that the detention does not affect their future entry into the United States.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun arrived in Washington on Tuesday to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss the detention of South Korean workers and ways to improve the work visa programs for South Korean businesses. Cho may also meet with US officials responsible for immigration policies, including the Department of Homeland Security.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the DHS and the Commerce Department are working to address visa rules concerning skilled foreign workers. (Yonhap)
