Folkston: A U.S. immigration judge on Thursday approved a request by a South Korean national to be released on bail, court records showed, after he and more than 310 Korean workers were detained in an immigration raid at a battery plant site earlier this month.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Kelley Sydnor, the immigration court judge, approved the request by the man, surnamed Lee, who chose to remain in the United States to face a legal process. Lee is pursuing permanent resident status in the U.S., while his colleagues returned home aboard a chartered plane following their September 11 release from a detention center in Folkston, Georgia.

An official at a law firm defending Lee stated that he is expected to be released within the next 24 hours. Lee opted to stay in the U.S. to address the legal proceedings, contrasting with the other workers who chose “voluntary departure” to avoid deportation.

U.S. immigration authorities arrested the Korean workers during a September 4 raid at the plant construction site for a joint Hyundai-LG Energy Solution venture. The authorities claimed the workers were found working illegally in the U.S., including those on short-term or recreational visas, which do not permit employment.