More than 300 Korean workers have been detained by US immigrants and customs enforcement agencies at the Hyundai LG Battery Factory in Georgia.
Hundreds of people have been detained in the attack on Hyundai plant immigrants in Georgia
Federal agents detained 450 workers, primarily Koreans, at Hyundai’s Georgia factory.
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of Korean workers detained during a massive migrant raid at a Hyundai battery factory in Georgia will soon return, officials from President Lee Jae Myung said.
US immigration agents detained around 475 people, including more than 300 Koreans, on September 4, at an underbuilt battery facility 30 miles northwest of Savannah. Federal officials said they violated immigration laws, including those who illegally crossed US borders with tourist visas that would not allow workers to work.
South Korean presidential director Kang Hoon Sik said in a statement aired on September 7 that negotiations with the US were concluded and workers will return home after completing additional management procedures. Workers will fly to South Korea on chartered planes, Hunsik said.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The attack on the HL-GA Battery Company Factory was the largest single-site workplace enforcement project in the Department of Homeland Security’s Faculty of History, officials said. A video released by the US immigration and customs enforcement agency showed bondage workers being escorted by bus.
Federal officials said at a press conference on September 5 that the business focuses primarily on criminal violations of employment law, rather than immigration lawsuits.
A few days after the attack, the South Korean president vowed to bring workers home, warning that the rights of the nation’s citizens should not be “unfairly violated.”
Georgia’s Congressional Democrats and Congressional Asia-Pacific American Caucus said in a September 6 statement that they are “deeply wary.”
“Instead of targeting violent criminals, the Trump administration is chasing immigrants in workplaces and communities of color to meet massive deportation quotas,” a group of 20 lawmakers wrote.
In an appearance on CNN’s “The State of the Union” on September 7, White House Border Border Area Tom Homan said the Trump administration plans to launch more raids like the Georgia factory.
South Korean officials said they would try to improve the visa system for workers traveling to the US to prevent future incidents.
This is a developing news article.
Contributor: Reuters; Trevor Hughes, USA Today
