ATLANTA — Hundreds of South Korean workers detained in a recent immigration raid at a Hyundai plant construction site in Georgia are expected to pass through Atlanta on their way home.

South Korea’s largest news agency reports the government has dispatched a chartered Korean Air flight to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to pick up as many as 300 workers. The workers were taken into custody last week at the electric vehicle and battery plant under construction near Savannah, which is set to open next year.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials say those detained were working at the site unlawfully. However, immigration attorney Charles Cook, who represents two of the workers, argues that not all were here illegally.

He said some entered under legal business visitor programs, such as ESTA or B-1, allowing them to participate in engineering oversight, after-sales service, and installation.

The situation has drawn widespread attention in South Korea, where officials are seeking voluntary departures for the workers rather than deportations, a classification that could block them from returning to the United States for a decade.

James Kim, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Seoul, said the case is straining U.S.–South Korea relations. “Everyone I speak to views America as its number one partner,” he said, adding that despite tensions, he is optimistic the countries will “work through it.”

State officials in Georgia have emphasized that any company operating in the state must follow federal and state labor laws.

WSB’s Jennifer Perry contributed to this story