BRYAN COUNTY, Ga. () — The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operation at the Hyundai megasite was the “largest single site enforcement operation in the history of HSI.”

The Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office, HSI, Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE), Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made the announcement at a joint press conference Friday morning.

According to HSI Special Agent Steven Schrank, a total of 475 people were arrested Thursday at the HL-GA Battery Company, LLC. The majority of those individuals are Korean nationals. Schrank said all 475 were illegally present in the U.S. or in violation of their presence in the U.S.

“Some illegally crossed the border into the United States. Some came in through visa waiver and were prohibited from working. Some had visas and overstayed their visas. Each individual was questioned on their status. Their documents were checked. Their backgrounds were checked. Ultimately, through coordination of our experts and attorneys in the background, those that were found to be illegally present were then detained and turned over to ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations custody,” Schrank said.

Those arrested have been taken to the Folkston ICE Processing Center, according to Schrank.

Upon execution of the criminal search warrant, several people attempted to flee the location.  For example, a handful of people ran into a sewage pond located on the premises. Agents used a boat to fish them out of the water, according to a press release.

One of the individuals swam under the boat and tried to flip it over to no avail. These people were captured and identified as illegal workers, according to HSI.

“The goal of this operation is to reduce illegal employment and prevent employers from gaining an unfair advantage by hiring unauthorized workers. Another goal is to protect unauthorized workers from exploitation,” U.S. Attorney Margaret E. Heap said.

This investigation was led by HSI, with assistance from ICE, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), FBI, ATF, DEA, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigations,  U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, United States Marshal Service (USMS), and Georgia State Patrol. Assistant United States Attorneys Tania Groover, Ryan Bondura, Kelsey Scanlon, and E. Greg Gilluly, Jr., are investigating this case. 

The investigation is ongoing. Agents collected more evidence from the site Thursday. All people are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case is part of Operation Take Back America, “a nationwide initiative that marshal the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total eliminations of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protects our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.”

received a response from the White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson:

“The United States is proud to be a home for major investments and looks forward to continuing to build on these historic investments and partnerships that President Trump has secured. Any foreign workers brought in for specific projects must enter the United States legally and with proper work authorizations. President Trump will continue delivering on his promise to make the United States the best place in the world to do business, while also enforcing federal immigration laws,” Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson wrote in a statement to .