Hundreds of workers detained on ice attacks at modern American factories | American Immigrants

Hundreds of factories are being built Georgia In order to manufacture automotive batteries for Hyundai and Kia electric vehicles, they were detained by immigration and customs enforcement (ice) Construction stopped on Thursday.

The facility is part of the largest industrial investment in the state’s history and is hailed as a huge boost to the economy by Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.

At least 450 people have been arrested, according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Atlanta office for alcohol, tobacco, guns and explosives.

However, the Korea Economic Daily later reported about 560 workers at Modern Facilities and LG Energy Solutions (LGE) and was detained on unidentified industry sources. About 300 Korean According to reports from local media, nationals. Hyundai Motor is a Korean car company, but has many international factories.

The raid suffered a setback on Thursday by the company’s substantial project in Georgia, a dramatic iteration Trump administrationSevere suppression of American immigration.

It also shows destructive effects Donald TrumpEven if the White House tries to drive more inflows from foreign investors, the massive deportation agenda is on businesses.

A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agent said several federal agencies, including the ICE, the FBI and the DEA, “have conducted judicially authorized enforcement actions as we are actively investigating illegal employment practices.”

“Arson is being taken,” Steven Schrank, a secret agent of the Georgia Homeland Security Investigation, said in a news conference.

Government officials represented South KoreaHyundai Motor’s homeland says the arrested person is being held in Ice Detention Center.

South Korea’s foreign ministry said “many of our nationals” were detained and expressed concern about the impact of the raid.

“During the U.S. law enforcement process, no violation of the economic activities of our company and the interests of our citizens,” said Lee Jae-Woong, a spokesman for the ministry, in a statement Friday.

According to LGES, the battery production facility, a joint venture between South Korean battery manufacturers LGES and Hyundai Electric Motor, will begin operations at the end of this year to power electric vehicles.

A spokesperson for Georgia Hyundai GA Battery Company said in a statement that it is working fully and has suspended construction efforts.

Hyundai said production of electric vehicles on the massive site has not been affected.

In 2023, Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution (LGES) announced $4.3 billion in enterprises producing electric electric electric electric battery batteries, each with a 50% stake. The factory will provide batteries for Hyundai, Kia and Genesis EV models.

The battery factory is part of Hyundai’s $12.6 billion investment in Georgia, including the carmaker’s just opened auto factories, which will be “the largest economic development project in the state’s history” and is part of a larger investment by South Korean companies in the U.S. industry, Announced in March When Trump gets more On tariffs.

A social media video footage showed a man wearing a letter, his acronym for Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), telling workers in a yellow safety vest: “We have a search warrant for the entire website. We need to stop construction immediately. We need all the work to end on site.”

Trump said he wanted to expel “the worst criminals,” but ice figures showed that non-criminals were picked up to increase. Rights advocates condemn such raids.

Although the Homeland Security Investigation led the raid, federal officials were assisted by Georgia Public Safety and State soldiers. Local media.

Meanwhile, in upstate New York, another major ice attack was carried out at the nutrition bar candy facility near Syracuse, where the snack bar was made amid family-owned concerns that sparked the governor’s anger.

Officials forced into industrial facilities and detained dozens of workers.

“I was angry at the ice attacks on Kato and Fulton this morning, with more than 40 adults, including parents with at least a dozen children, at risk of returning to an empty house from school,” said Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, a New York Democratic Governor, in a statement released in her office.

“I have made it clear that New York will work with the federal government to secure our borders and expel violent criminals, but we will never replace masked ice media, separating families and abandoning children,” Hochul added.

The Ministry of Rural and Immigration Advocacy Group said on Facebook that more than 70 workers have been arrested.

Reuters contributed the report