Immigration enforcement agents apprehended suspected undocumented workers at the Hyundai Motor Georgia plant on Thursday (4th). [Excerpt from ATF]

CBS News reported on the morning of the 5th, citing a senior Department of Homeland Security official, that a large-scale immigration crackdown was carried out at the Hyundai Motor plant in Bryan County, Georgia, on Thursday (4th), resulting in the detention of 475 immigrants suspected of being undocumented workers.

The operation involved law enforcement officers from multiple federal agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Border Patrol, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Earlier, the ATF Atlanta office had posted photos from the scene on social media, stating that 450 individuals had been detained.

The crackdown is drawing national attention because it targeted one of Georgia's largest and most prominent manufacturing facilities, a site that the state government had lauded as the largest economic development project in Georgia's history, undertaken by a Korean company.

Hyundai Motor Group began producing electric vehicles at the $7.6 billion plant a year ago and currently employs approximately 1,200 people. Construction of a nearby plant for battery production has been halted due to this operation.

ICE agents conducted enforcement operations on the 3,000-acre site, focusing on the battery plant construction area, they stated.

HL-GA Battery Company, a joint venture between Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution, said in a statement, "We are fully cooperating with the relevant authorities and have halted construction to assist law enforcement."

Im Tae-hwan, president of the Korean American Association of Southeast Georgia, told News & Post in a phone call on the 5th, "Both Koreans and Hispanics who are not legally residing here must be extremely worried. Companies that are subcontractors or involved in construction for Korean companies seem to be significantly affected."

He added, "Even those who are already here will likely not be able to work for the time being. They will either be staying put, just eating and sleeping, or returning to Korea. That's what I think... almost."

When asked if the raid appeared to be targeting Koreans, Im stated, "It might seem somewhat like that. Actually, if they were specifically targeting Hispanics, or not just Hispanics but undocumented individuals, they are usually widespread in farms and construction sites, all over the place..."

Lee Jeong-hwa, a partner attorney at Nelson Mullins, which provides legal services to many Korean companies operating in the southeastern region, told News & Post over the phone, "Some of the Koreans detained were here on work visas like the E-2 visa. Those who were apprehended due to miscommunication have already been released. Those who came on visitor visas need to explain their situation clearly; if they cannot, they may be deported."

In an email to this publication, Attorney Lee stated, "It is permissible to work on a visitor visa (even if entering under ESTA) as a construction supervisor, such as installing equipment from an equipment company or training local staff. However, you must explain this clearly."

Current regulations state that if individuals are coming to the United States "to install, service, or repair commercial or industrial equipment or machinery purchased from a foreign company, or to train U.S. workers to perform such services," working is permitted even with a visitor visa.

"However, this provision does not apply to applicants who intend to engage in construction or building work on-site or in a factory. Exceptions are made for applicants who apply for a B-1 visa to supervise or train other workers engaged in construction or building work, but do not actually perform such construction or building work," the regulations specify.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated in a release that agents executed search warrants "as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into illegal employment practices and other serious federal crimes."

DHS added, "Indeed, this was the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations."

Meanwhile, Tori Branum, a candidate for the 12th Congressional District, has garnered attention by claiming that the ICE raid was initiated by her tip-off.

Branum wrote on Facebook, "If you are living in a $2 million home while running a business that hires undocumented immigrants because you can't afford to hire legal Americans, you need to rethink what kind of business you are running! It's a 'debt you can't afford'!"

Bryan County, where the Hyundai Motor plant is located, is not included in the 12th Congressional District where Branum is running.

In another post, Branum wrote, "Every time undocumented immigrants are arrested on-site, the people who hired them should also be arrested. I want to see accountability from the top down."

In fact, this area has seen many resident complaints since the construction of the Hyundai Motor plant began, with farmers experiencing water shortages. An environmental group even opposed the plant's construction to the point of filing lawsuits.

However, this does not seem sufficient to explain why such an unprecedentedly large-scale enforcement operation occurred at this particular time.

The current U.S. Representative for the 12th District is Rick Allen (Republican), who has held the seat for 10 years since winning the election in 2014.

In September 2020, 13 Korean workers were arrested by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) at the construction site of SK Battery America's Georgia plant, a subsidiary of SK Innovation.

The investigation at that time was initiated after U.S. Representative Doug Collins (Republican) filed a complaint alleging suspected illegal employment.

Collins, known as a confidant of Trump, was appointed and served as Secretary of Veterans Affairs in the second Trump administration.

At that time, the Moon Jae-in administration was in power in Korea. President Trump was not favorable towards former President Moon.

President Trump had consistently mentioned "reciprocal tariffs," which are imposed based on mutual equity. Fairness and legality must be the foundation, of course.

By Sung Ku Hong, Editor-in-Chief, NNP USA / Special Correspondent for this publication

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