A massive raid by immigration agents at a Hyundai plant in Ellabel, near Savannah, Georgia, left hundreds of people detained on Thursday. The exact number has not been confirmed, but the Atlanta office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which assisted immigration authorities in the operation, said 450 people were arrested, including some factory executives. Those arrested also included South Korean nationals, threatening to further strain relations between Washington and Seoul, a key trading ally.
The number of detainees in a single raid makes this operation the largest ever carried out by US immigration authorities. South Korea expressed its"concern and regret" over the raid on the South Korean automaker. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lee Jaewoong described the number of South Koreans detained as"large," though he did not provide an exact figure.
In a televised statement, Lee said the ministry is already taking active steps to address the case, has dispatched diplomats from its embassy in Washington and consulate in Atlanta to the site, and plans to form an on-site response team centered on the local mission.
"The business activities of our investors and the rights of our citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon in the process of enforcing U.S. law," Lee said, according to AP.
The plant is intended for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries and is expected to begin operating next year. The raid is part of the Trump administration's deportation campaign, which this time has targeted a large-scale, job-creating investment in the United States.
The arrival of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents triggered a stampede of workers, who fled desperately to hide anywhere. Immigration officials blocked the exits with their vehicles and ordered them to line up. Those who escaped described how the workers at the car factory were running in all directions.
One of the escaped employees told Univision"the adrenaline rush you feel when you hear immigration is coming." This made everyone panic and search for any hiding place, including the air conditioning duct, where the heat was intense and they were trapped. They couldn't get out because it couldn't be opened from the inside, and they had to call a colleague to free them from the outside.
Another group of workers managed to escape the raid by fleeing into the forest, where they hid for hours.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that agents executed a search warrant “as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes.”
The agents verified each person's identity and immigration status. Some reported being pressured to sign a self-deportation order.
The Ellabel factory, co-owned by LG Energy Solution, is part of Hyundai’s massive project in the state. It covers some 1,214 hectares and was touted by the governor and other officials as the largest economic development project in the state’s history. Hyundai Motor Group, South Korea’s largest automaker, began making electric vehicles a year ago at the $7.6 billion plant, which employs about 1,200 people.
