A large-scale crackdown, dubbed 'Operation Low Voltage,' that led to the arrest and detention of 475 people at the construction site of a Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution joint battery plant in Bryan County, Georgia, was initially targeting four Hispanic individuals, the Savannah Morning News reported on Wednesday, the 10th.

According to the newspaper, the warrant obtained by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia names four individuals as "persons of interest": Andreina Fuentes-Tovar, Kevin Zavaleta-Ramirez, David Zavaleta-Ramirez, and Julio Gonzalez Alvarado.

Some are arguing that arresting 475 people based on warrants for four individuals constitutes an excessive crackdown, with critics pointing out that the arrests were made without reasonable grounds.

However, the Supreme Court recently ruled in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles that crackdowns on undocumented immigrants can be conducted even without reasonable suspicion, paving the way for the Trump administration to actively pursue immigration enforcement.

In fact, the warrant specifies that in addition to the four persons of interest, officials intended to seize documents from contractors including HL-GA, TK, Authorica, SBY America, Beyond Iron Construction, and Steel Brothers Development. These documents include work schedules, payroll information, employee photos, visas, green cards, employment authorization cards, passports, and birth certificates.

Search warrant issued on September 2nd for the Hyundai-LG joint venture plant construction site

Furthermore, the warrant specifies the "Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) campus in Ellabell, Georgia" (hereinafter referred to as 'Hyundai Megasite'), indicating that the operation's scope covered the entire Hyundai plant site.

The Hyundai Megasite includes not only the HL-GA battery plant but also five Hyundai affiliates: Glovis, Transys, Steel, and Materials.

Phil Lienert, LG's head of communications and government affairs, told the Savannah Morning News that 47 of the detained workers were LG employees (46 Koreans and one Indonesian), and 250 were associated with HL-GA's subcontractors.

Moreover, according to a return of search warrant filed with the federal court on the 9th, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seized equipment, including computers, and documents from companies not listed in the warrant, such as Hyundai Engineering, Jungwon, Wellings, and K-ensol, during the operation on the 4th.

This is expected to lead to investigations into various issues that have been strongly raised within the community, including illegal employment, labor exploitation, and the systematic exclusion of local businesses.

For Hyundai Motor, this presents a stark and difficult reality. The news of HSI and ICE operations follows other recent blows to the electric vehicle (EV) industry, including lower-than-expected consumer demand over the past year.

In February, the Trump administration, following the Biden administration, froze $5 billion allocated by Congress for EV charging infrastructure for U.S. highways. This freeze lasted for about six months until June. While federal judges ruled in favor of several states that sued the federal government for holding the funds, the ultimate victory is uncertain if the case proceeds to the Supreme Court.

Additionally, in February, Aspen Aerogels Inc. withdrew a $325 million plant construction contract in Statesboro.

Furthermore, the Trump administration eliminated federal tax credits for electric vehicles. After September 30th, tax credits of $4,000 for used EVs and $7,500 for new EVs will no longer be available to consumers.

By Hong Seong-gu, Chief Reporter, NNP USA / Special Contribution to this publication info@newsandpost.com