A Friday immigration raid on Hyundai’s Metaplant in Georgia is the latest in a series of high-profile actions by the federal government.
Over the past few years, South Korean automaker Hyundai has been under scrutiny for its labor practices. One of its suppliers was embroiled in a child labor scandal in late 2022, and now the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency carried out a large-scale raid on Hyundai’s new 2,900-acre Metaplant site in Ellabell, Georgia, just outside Savannah. CNN notes a statement from the Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge, noting this action is “the largest single-site enforcement operation” in the agency’s history.
According to the latest available information, federal officials apprehended some 475 people in its sweep of the plant — most of whom are South Korean nationals. ICE spokesperson Lindsay Williams said the raid largely focused on Hyundai’s new battery plant, under construction as part of a partnership with LG (officially called “HL-GA Battery Company”).
The agency says the raid happened as “part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes.” HSI agent Steven Shrank told the media that today’s action was part of a “multi-month criminal investigation where we have developed evidence and conducted interviews, gathered documents and presented that evidence to the court in ode to obtain a judicial search warrant.”
Hyundai spokesperson Michael Stewart told media outlets reaching out for comment that the automaker is cooperating fully with agents, and that those detained were not direct employees of the company.
“As of today, it is our understanding that none of those detained is directly employed by Hyundai Motor Company,” is a direct quote from this morning’s developments. “We prioritize the safety and well-being of everyone working at the site and comply with all laws and regulations wherever we operate.” LG, for its part, hasn’t made an official comment, and ICE also did not yet comment on whether the 475 individuals were contractors, subcontractors or actually worked for either of the partners involved in the Metaplant’s battery site construction.
Hyundai also stressed in its response that the ICE operation did not impact its manufacturing plant’s production. The Metaplant started building Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 9 SUVs in MArch, as part of Hyundai’s $7.6 billion manufacturing footprint in Georgia.
According to an Associated Press report, the South Korean government expressed “concern and regret” over the ICE operation affecting its nationals. South Korea’s foreign minister, Lee Jaewoong, said in a statement that it is dispatching its Washington, DC-based diplomats at the embassy to Atlanta, with plans to form an on-site response team. Of today’s raid, he said: “The business activities of our investors and the rights of our nationals must not be unjustly infringed in the process of US law enforcement.
Shrank said in his statements to the media that most of the 475 detainees were taken to a detention center in Folkston, Georgia, close to the Florida state border and 2 hours south of Ellabell.
