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As one worker looked through his workspace window and spotted security vehicles and enforcement agents running around with guns, he was surprised, but not worried.

This South Korean individual was convinced it had nothing to do with him. Youngjin was in the US just for a few weeks on a short-term permit, he thought to himself.

Suddenly, those weapon-carrying officers burst into his space and ordered him out. They handcuffed him, before attaching restraints to his waist and ankles, and placed him onto a vehicle headed for a holding facility.

"I panicked and my thoughts froze. I felt sick," he told during a discussion, now back in South Korea.

"I was confused about why I was being treated in this manner."

The worker is one of over 300 South Korean employees who were detained in the American state of the Southern state recently, in among of the largest immigration raids of the recent presidency to date. Youngjin and fellow detainees spoken with for this article preferred not to disclose their real names in order to protect their identity.

'Helicopters and UAVs… People With Guns

US authorities at first claimed the individuals had been in the country illegally on improper visas, but eventually the two sides reached a agreement permitting them to leave without force free from any consequences, so they could return to be employed there in the future.

The majority of the workers were in the United States for a short time, helping to construct an EV power facility run by a pair of Korean firms, Hyundai and LG – part of a American push to get foreign companies to invest and manufacture more in the country.

The company indicated that a large number of its staff who were detained had various kinds of permits or were under a visa waiver arrangement. And so they were especially shocked by the operation.

"We just came out for a short pause and I could see a many individuals, officials with guns. As South Koreans, we just assumed they were here to detain criminals, but then, they suddenly started detaining us," said another detainee, who was also taken that day.

Chul-yong said they tried to explain who they were, but they were frightened: "We saw helicopters and unmanned aircraft, security trucks… people with guns."

We noticed some officers pointing guns at workers, he claimed. "Are you familiar with those red lasers that emit from those firearms? It was so alarming that some people were shivering in terror."

Even those who managed to provide their visa details said they were arrested. "I thought everything would be cleared up but on the contrary, they without warning restrained us," said Mr Kim involved, who just wanted to give his last name.

The detainee said there was a restraint around his ankles and one more around his waist, connected to handcuffs. "It was so constricting, I couldn't touch my face with my hands."

Each of them said they had little understanding why this was occurring, or where they were being transported. "I later learned that I was detained at the a specific immigration Detention Facility," mentioned the software engineer. Chul-yong had been planning to stay for about a 30 days but was detained on his sixth day there.

'It Was Freezing... The Water Had an Odor Similar to Wastewater'

The engineer, a specialist and sub-contractor for the company, was scheduled to be there for five weeks to train personnel to use some of the specialized high-tech equipment.

This 30-year-old was trembling, even visibly distressed, as he described his transfer to the holding center and locked in a cell with 60-70 other people.

"I had a panic attack. I just stood there trembling," he said. The room was extremely cold, and the new individuals were not provided coverings for the initial days, he noted.

"I was wearing short sleeves, so I tucked my limbs inside my garments and wrapped myself in a cloth to try to stay heated at during the evening," he said. "Most difficult part was the water. It had an odor reminiscent of waste. We consumed as little as possible."

The bunk beds were all taken, another detainee said, by the moment he got there, forcing him and others to find any empty space to rest, including an unused desk where they could lay their head down.

"We tried to sleep wherever possible, truly. It was really cold. There were people who located packaged food, heated it up in the microwave, hugging it throughout the night."

During the first few days, Youngjin had no idea how long he would be detained for. He worried it might be a long period. It was only after some of the workers were able to meet lawyers and diplomatic officials, did they understand their authorities was cooperating with the US authorities to get them freed.

"Even the American authorities feels it might have been a somewhat too extreme," the nation's chief economic negotiator informed reporters after coming back from the US. Seoul states it is now reviewing possible human rights violations during the operation by American officers.

Trump recognized the need to have specialists from overseas educate up American employees, and according to Korean representatives, US Assistant Official of State a senior diplomat has conveyed his "deep apologies" over the incident.

Still, it has shaken relations between the US and Korea, typically close partners, particularly since it came soon on the aftermath of a economic deal in which Korean firms pledged to invest $350bn in the US.

Mr Kim believed his work was permitted by his B-1 visa - and argued it made little logic for the officials to arrest hundreds of people without clarifying their roles in the factory.

Another individual, who was in the US on a three-month visa waiver programme, is firm he committed no wrong. "I only participated in discussions and delivered instructional sessions," he said, noting this was under the terms of the waiver. "Our trust in the United States has been deeply shaken. I don't think it's a reliable ally for South Korea."

Even though back with his family, the worker is continuing finding it hard to come to terms with what occurred to him. At the time he met them at the airport after arriving home on that night, he said he greeted and {hug