September 8, 2025

The Hyundai Raid: Immigration, Labor and Global Consequences

Nearly 500 workers were detained in one of the largest workplace immigration raids in U.S. history. This lesson uses video, discussion and media literacy activities to help students explore how immigration policy affects families, communities and international relations.

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Andy Kratochvil

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In early September, immigration agents carried out one of the largest workplace raids in U.S. history at a Hyundai-LG electric vehicle battery plant under construction in Ellabell, Ga. Nearly 500 workers were detained, and most were South Korean nationals.

The raid was part of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement strategy, which targets undocumented workers, visa overstays, and companies accused of hiring these wrorkers.

The timing made headlines worldwide. Just days earlier, South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung met with President Trump at the White House. During that summit, South Korean companies pledged about $150 billion in future U.S. investments, including $26 billion from Hyundai. South Korea later criticized the U.S. for releasing video footage showing their citizens in restraints, calling it “regrettable,” and warned that the incident could damage diplomatic relations and undermine business confidence.

Locally, the raid disrupted more than the construction site. Many of the detained workers had ties to the surrounding community, raising concerns about families, local businesses and Georgia’s economy.

This event shows how immigration decisions made in Washington can have big ripple effects: on real people, on communities, and even on international relationships.

Discussion Questions

What message do you think U.S. immigration agents were trying to send with this raid? Who was the intended audience?
Why might this raid hurt U.S. relations with South Korea? Can you think of specific reasons based on what you read or watched?
What roles do immigration policy and labor enforcement play in shaping how other countries see the U.S.?
How do you think the raid affected families and communities in Georgia? What should be considered when enforcing immigration laws at work sites like this?
If something like this happened in your community, how could you and others show support for the families and community members affected?

Media Literacy: Same Event, Different Stories

Read or watch stories about the raid from different news outlets. Each outlet frames the story in its own way. Compare how the outlets describe the raid, what details they focus on, and what kinds of words they use.

News Outlets to Compare

AP News (Neutral/Center)Focus: Facts, official statements, global impact.

Link: South Koreans Feel Betrayed After Hundreds of Workers were detained in a Plant Raid in Georgia

TIME Magazine (Center-Left)Focus: Big-picture analysis, politics and economic issues.

Link: How ICE’s Raid on Korean Workers in Georgia Demonstrates Trump’s Clashing Priorities

The Guardian (Left-Leaning)Focus: Human impact, diplomacy, ethical concerns.

Link: 300 South Koreans Detained at HyundaiPplant in U.S. to Be Released, Says Seoul

Fox News (Right-Leaning)Focus: Law enforcement, protecting jobs and illegal immigration.

Link: Social Media Firestorm Erupts After Massive Georgia Immigration Raid: 'Taking Bold Action'

Newsmax (Far Right)Focus: Strong language, national security, border control.

Link: ATF: Up to 450 'Unlawful Aliens' Detained at Hyundai Motor's Georgia Site

Discussion Questions

How does each outlet describe the workers who were arrested?
1. Look for words like “workers,” “undocumented,” “illegal migrants” or “unlawful aliens.”
What does each outlet focus on the most?
1. Is it the arrests, the workers’ families, the U.S.-South Korea relationship, or something else?
Whose voices are included?
1. Does the outlet quote police, government officials, company leaders, South Korean officials, or people from the community?
What’s the tone of the story?
1. Does it sound neutral, sympathetic, angry, urgent, or focused on national security/law enforcement?
What’s similar and what’s different across the outlets?
1. Which facts show up in all of them, and which details only appear in some?

Extension Activity: Headline Remix!

Pick a headline from one outlet and rewrite it three times:

To show the human impact
To highlight law enforcement
To emphasize international consequences

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Andy Kratochvil

Andy Kratochvil is a proud member of the AFT Share My Lesson team, where he’s passionate about discovering and sharing top-tier content with educators across the country. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and French from California State University, Fullerton, and later completed... See More