South Korea to send chartered plane to Atlanta to bring back workers detained in US
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During the Sept 4 immigration raid, about 300 South Koreans were among the 475 people arrested at the site of a project by Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution in the southern US state of Georgia.
PHOTO: AFP
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SEOUL – South Korea will send a chartered plane to Atlanta as early as on Sept 10 to bring back workers detained during a huge immigration raid last week on a car battery plant in the US state of Georgia, a Korean Air spokesperson said on Sept 9.
President Lee Jae Myung said Seoul would negotiate with Washington to achieve a reasonable resolution to the situation based on the spirit of their alliance, adding at a Cabinet meeting that he felt a “heavy responsibility” for the detained nationals.
A Korean Air Boeing 747-8i plane with 368 seats will fly from South Korea’s Incheon to Atlanta, according to the spokesperson.
During the US immigration raid, about 300 South Koreans were among the 475 people arrested
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is in Washington to negotiate on issues such as seeking assurances that the detained South Koreans will be allowed re-entry into the US.
South Korean officials had kicked off the process of bringing the detained workers back home, a senior diplomatic official told reporters in Georgia after meeting the workers in custody.
The raid was the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of the US Department of Homeland Security's investigative operations and sent shock waves through South Korea, a US ally that has been trying to finalise a trade deal agreed with Washington in July.
A Realmeter opinion poll published on Sept 9 showed that nearly 60 per cent of South Koreans felt disappointed by what they viewed as excessive action by the US authorities in the raid, while about 30 per cent regarded the action as unavoidable.
Two Japanese nationals and up to nine Chinese citizens were also among the detainees, the Nikkei business daily reported.
Mr James Rim, who heads the Korean-American Association of Southeast Georgia and runs guest houses used by Korean workers near the Hyundai plant, said two of his residents had been detained after being found to be on a visa-waiver programme that prohibits employment in the country.
On Sept 4 after the raid, they did not come back for dinner, Mr Rim said, noting two other colleagues had made it back to the guest house after screening during the raid.
“I heard two of them saw an officer that didn’t let them go, while the other two managed to leave after talking to another officer,” he said.
Details on how US immigration rules may have been breached have not been released by the authorities or the companies involved, but South Korean lawmakers say some may have overstepped the boundaries of a 90-day visa-waiver programme or a B-1 temporary business visa.
Foreign Minister Cho said he would discuss creating a special work permit for Korean professionals with Washington.
Korean businesses have complained about what they consider strict US limits on visas for skilled foreign workers, making it difficult for them to oversee the construction of factories or to train the local workforce.
According to workers, officials and lawyers, many South Korean workers were sent to the US on questionable documents despite their misgivings and warnings about stricter US immigration enforcement.
After the raid, Mr Rim said some of the 20 subcontractors working at the plant and also staying at his guesthouse returned to South Korea early.
“Not everyone, but some of the workers came here on a visa waiver,” he said, adding that this had long been a standard practice.
“It should have been done earlier, but I think now is a good chance to give some kind of a special work permit to Koreans. Otherwise, it would be difficult to build factories with only a local workforce,” he said. REUTERS
