South Korean worker tells BBC of panic and confusion during Hyundai raid

Some 400 US agents took part in the immigration raid on the Hyundai facility, detaining hundreds of workers, many South Korean nationals.

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The man, who asked to remain anonymous, was at the factory which is jointly owned by Hyundai and LG Energy Solution when agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 475 people, including 300 South Korean nationals, with some being led away in chains.

He said he first became aware of the Thursday morning raid when he and his colleagues received a deluge of phone calls from company bosses. "Multiple phone lines were ringing and the message was to shut down operations," he said.

As news spread of the raid, the largest of its kind since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, the man said panicked family members tried to contact the workers.

"They were detained and they left all their cell phones in the office. They were getting calls, but we couldn't answer because [the office] was locked," he said.