Auto workers arrested in the largest workplace immigration attack in the U.S. ever, officials said, violating their visitor visa.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said Thursday there were 475 people, mainly South Korean citizens – working illegally at modern factories in Georgia, the United States.
“People with short-term or leisure visas are not entitled to work in the United States,” Ice said, adding that the raid was a necessary condition to protect American work.
South Korea’s companies have pledged to invest billions of dollars in the coming years, partly to avoid tariffs, have sent diplomats to Georgia and called on the rights of their citizens to be respected.
The arrested workers were held at the ice rink in Foxton, Georgia until the agency decided where to move next.
Of the detained people, 300 are Korean nationals. Hyundai said in a statement that none of them were hired directly by the company.
The City of Savannah’s Ice Bureau said in a statement Friday that the raid was “part of an ongoing, ongoing criminal investigation.”
“The person arrested during the operation was found to have worked illegally and violated the terms of his visa and/or identity,” the statement added.
But Atlanta immigration attorney Charles Kuck told The New York Times that two of his clients were wrongly caught in the raid.
He told the newspaper that the couple was in the U.S. under a visa waiver program that allows them to travel or travel for up to 90 days.
“My clients are following what visa exemptions allow them to do – attend business meetings,” he said on Friday.
He said one of them arrived only Tuesday and is scheduled to leave next week.
One of the detainees was a Mexican citizen and green card holder with a long rap watch on it, Bing said.
According to the ICE, the person had previously been convicted of possessing narcotics, attempting to sell stolen firearms and theft.
“We welcome all companies that want to invest in the United States,” said Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) Agent Steven Schrank.
“If they need to bring workers to construction or other projects, that’s great – but they need to do it legally.
“The clear message of this operation is that those who leverage the system and destroy our workforce will be held accountable.”
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry responded to the raid and said: “During the U.S. law enforcement action, economic activities of South Korean investment companies and the rights and interests of South Korean citizens have to be violated.”
The raid has caused possible tensions between President Donald Trump’s two top priorities – building manufacturing within the U.S. and undermining illegal immigration. It may also put pressure on the relationship between the state and its key allies.
“They are illegal foreigners and Ice are just doing the work,” President Trump said in the Oval Office on Friday.
When asked about Seoul’s reaction, he said: “Well, we want to get along with other countries and we want to have a great, stable workforce.
“And, as far as I understand, we have a lot of illegal foreigners, some of them are not the best, but we have a lot of illegal foreigners working there.”
Trump has been working to introduce major investments from other countries, while also imposing tariffs, which he said will enable manufacturers to incentivize goods to be made in the United States.
The president also ran for a fight against illegal immigration, telling supporters that he believed immigrants were stealing jobs from Americans.
The factory that makes new electric vehicles was touted by the Republican governor of Georgia as the largest economic development project in the state’s history, employing 1,200 people.
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