Federal immigration raid details: Uncovered the monthslong operation that resulted in 475 arrests at a Hyundai factory in Georgia
In a significant turn of events, a massive immigration raid took place at the Hyundai Metaplant in Ellabell, Georgia, on Thursday. The operation, part of a meticulously coordinated investigation involving multiple federal and state agencies, was the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations.
The raid resulted in the arrest of 475 individuals, most of whom were Korean nationals. Two clients of a Georgia immigration attorney were among those detained, having arrived from South Korea under a visa waiver program. The Hyundai spokesperson stated that they do not believe anyone arrested during the raid was a direct employee of Hyundai Motor Company.
The Hyundai Metaplant, which is projected to employ up to 8,500 people when complete, has two parts: a Hyundai electric vehicle manufacturing site, and an EV battery plant, a joint venture between Hyundai and LG. The plant was disrupted by the raid, with construction of the EV battery plant halted, as reported by The Associated Press.
Workers were asked for their Social Security number, date of birth, and other identifying information by masked and armed agents. Some workers attempted to flee during the raid, with some running to a sewage pond on the premises and others hiding in air ducts. Agents used a boat to fish out workers who had fled into the sewage pond.
The federal E-Verify system, used by employers across the US to check the legal work eligibility of new hires, has been criticized for being unreliable. In response, Hyundai is reviewing its processes to ensure that all parties working on their projects maintain high standards of legal compliance.
The companies involved in the EV battery factory in Ellabell, Georgia, disrupted by the raid in 2022 are SK Innovation and Ford. South Korea dispatched diplomats to the site in response to the raid and contacted the US embassy in Seoul to urge the US to exercise extreme caution when it comes to Korean citizens' rights.
The raid marks the largest sweep yet in the current Trump administration's immigration crackdown at US worksites. The two clients, both engineers, were in the US to advise on work and were planning to return to South Korea shortly. The Hyundai raid adds to the growing concerns about the impact of immigration enforcement actions on businesses and international relations.
Read also:
- ICE directed to enhance detention conditions following NYC immigrants' allegations of maltreatment
- Israeli finance minister issues warnings about potential annexation of West Bank territories
- United States faces rebuttal from South Africa over allegedly deceitful human rights report and assertions of land expropriation
- Accident at Rodalben Results in Injuries; Geoskop Area near Kusel Affected After Stormy Weather
