US immigration agents arrest hundreds at Hyundai plant, mostly Koreans

Hundreds of workers at a Hyundai Motor car battery facility under construction in Georgia were detained in a raid by US authorities, stopping work on a plant that is one of the Korean automaker's major investments in the USA.

About 475 workers, most of whom were South Korean nationals, were arrested, according to US immigration officials, the largest single-site enforcement operation in the US Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) history.

Video released on Saturday (September 6) by the United States Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) show rows of detainees lined up alongside the plant walls and then being loaded onto waiting corrections buses.

President Donald Trump's administration has been escalating a crackdown on immigrants, disrupting businesses around the country, even as the White House has encouraged more inflows from foreign investors.

The arrests could exacerbate tensions between Washington and Seoul, a key ally and investor in the US.

The countries have been at odds over the details of a trade deal that includes $350 billion of investments.

At a summit last month, South Korea pledged $150 billion in US investments - including $26 billion from Hyundai Motor.

Homeland Security officials said the workers arrested at the Ellabell, Georgia, site were barred from working in the US after crossing the border illegally or overstaying visas.

The investigation took place over several months, Steven Schrank, special agent in charge of investigations for Georgia, said during a press briefing.

A Hyundai Motor spokesperson said none of the people detained were employed directly by the automaker.

The arrested workers were being held at ICE's Folkston, Georgia, detention facility, Steven Schrank, special agent in charge of investigations for Georgia, said during a press briefing.

Most of the 475 people are South Korean nationals, he said. Korean media has put the number of South Koreans detained at roughly 300 people.

The raid - dubbed "Operation Low Voltage" - included more than 400 law enforcement officers after a months-long investigation.

A spokesperson at Hyundai's battery joint venture partner, South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solutions, said in a statement it was cooperating and had paused construction work.

The facility, a joint venture between LGES and Hyundai Motor, was due to start operations at the end of this year, according to LGES.

Under Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, part of DHS, has driven the Republican leader's sweeping crackdown on migrants, bolstered by record funding and new latitude to conduct raids.

Trump has said he wants to deport "the worst of the worst" criminals but ICE figures have shown a rise in non-criminals being picked up. Rights advocates have denounced such raids.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry expressed regret and concern about the raid.

"The economic activities of our companies investing in the United States and the interests of our citizens must not be unduly violated during the course of US law enforcement," ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said in a statement.

Georgia's Democratic Party condemned the raid, calling it part of "politically-motivated fear tactics designed to terrorize people who work hard for a living, power our economy, and contribute to the communities across Georgia that they have made their homes."

In a statement, a spokesman for Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said: “Georgia, we will always enforce the law, including all state and federal immigration laws.”

(Source: Reuters)

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