Workers detained in a raid at the battery plant on the Hyundai Metaplant campus near Savannah last week were expected to be released to return to South Korea on Wednesday.
But the situation remains fluid and the departure at least as of about noon Wednesday has been canceled.
Korean Air said Tuesday it would operate a charter flight to Atlanta on Wednesday using a Boeing 747, an aircraft that has arrived in Georgia.
But Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport said the charter flight to transport the detainees from Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon had been canceled. However, plans may change, according to the airport.
South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was talking with U.S. officials about letting the plane return home with the released workers as soon as possible, but that the plane cannot depart from the U.S. on Wednesday as South Korea earlier wished because of an unspecified reason involving the U.S. side, according to The Associated Press.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was scheduled to meet with South Korea Foreign Minister Cho Hyun at the White House on Wednesday morning, according to Rubio’s public schedule.
Hyundai’s factory site includes vehicle production and a battery factory that’s being developed as part of a joint venture with LG Energy Solution.
“Look, we need answers,” said U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in remarks Wednesday. “We need answers, both from Hyundai and LG in response to these allegations of violations at the construction site, and we need more information from the Department of Homeland Security about the raid and who they targeted and on what basis. And, you know, Georgia employers need to follow U.S. labor law.”
South Korean officials said they’ve been negotiating with the U.S. to win “voluntary” departures of the workers, rather than deportations that could result in making them ineligible to return to the U.S. for up to 10 years, the AP reported.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
About 475 workers — including about 300 South Koreans — were detained Thursday after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at the construction site of a battery factory jointly developed by Hyundai, according to officials.
It’s unclear how many people will be released and would board the charter flight.
“We need really high level engagement between the United States and the Korean government in order to ensure that these facilities, which promise to employ thousands of Georgians in manufacturing jobs in the near future, are completed,” Ossoff said.
An article by South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh said release procedures had begun at the ICE detention facility in Folkston, but transportation to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for the flight was a sticking point.
“While Korean officials offered to provide buses for the detainees, it appears the conclusion reached was for ICE vehicles to ‘escort’ the departing workers to the airport runway,” the article said.
— The AJC’s Adam Beam contributed to this article.
— This is a developing story. Return to ajc.com for updates.
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