A Hyundai manufacturing plant in Georgia that was once hailed by US President Joe Biden as a glowing example of his administration’s economic agenda is now at the centre of one of the largest immigration raids in US history.Federal agents detained 475 workers — most of them South Korean nationals — during a Thursday raid on the $7.6 billion electric vehicle complex west of Savannah, officials confirmed on Friday.The plant, which Georgia officials have touted as the state’s largest-ever economic development project and which Biden spotlighted in 2022 as a project that would create many jobs for American workers, is instead under scrutiny for employing hundreds of people allegedly working illegally in the country..“Hyundai’s commitment to invest more than $5 billion and create more than 8,000 jobs making electric vehicles and batteries will help boost the entire community around Bryan County with good jobs people can raise a family on, and ultimately help lower costs for the American people,” Biden said at the time.Steven Schrank, the lead Georgia agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations, said, “This has been a multi-month criminal investigation where we developed evidence, conducted interviews, and obtained a judicial search warrant.”He stated it was the “largest single-site enforcement operation” in the agency’s two-decade history.The Associated Press reported that detainees included undocumented immigrants, people with expired visas, and workers on visa waivers that prohibit employment.The South Korean government has condemned the operation, expressing “concern and regret,” saying it infringed on the rights of its citizens.Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jaewoong said Seoul is sending diplomats to the site and will establish a local response team.Hyundai began producing EVs at the Bryan County site last September, calling it a cornerstone of its US strategy.The raid primarily targeted an adjacent Hyundai-LG Energy Solution battery plant still under construction.Most of those arrested have been moved to an immigration detention centre near the Florida border.No criminal charges have yet been filed, but the investigation is ongoing.
