ICE Raids Hyundai Battery Plant in Georgia,Detaining Approximately 475 Workers
Pooler,Georgia – Federal authorities detained approximately 475 people Wednesday during a raid at a hyundai battery plant construction site in Pooler,Georgia,officials said. The operation,conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other agencies,targeted workers at the site of a joint venture between Hyundai and LG Energy Solution,HL-GA Battery Company.
The raid raises concerns about the impact of increased ICE enforcement on the U.S. labor market and the rights of workers. It comes amid a backdrop of declining immigrant participation in the workforce, with the U.S. labor force losing more than 1.2 million immigrants between January and July, according to preliminary Census Bureau data cited by the Pew Research Center. The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs has responded, urging the U.S. Embassy in Seoul ”to exercise extreme caution to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of Korean citizens are not infringed upon,” and stating that the rights and interests of Korean citizens and investment companies “must not be unfairly infringed upon during U.S. law enforcement operations.”
Georgia State Patrol troopers blocked access roads to the Hyundai site during the operation. Video posted to social media showed a Homeland Security investigations (HSI) agent telling workers to cease construction immediately. “We’re Homeland Security. We have a search warrant for the whole site,” the agent said in the video. “We need construction to cease immediately. We need all work to end on the site right now.”
HL-GA Battery Company confirmed it is indeed “cooperating fully with the appropriate authorities” and paused construction to assist with the investigation. HyundaiS electric vehicle manufacturing plant, located nearby, was not affected, according to plant spokesperson Bianca Johnson. “This did not impact people getting to work,” Johnson said in an email. “Production and normal office hours had already begun for the day” when access was shut down.
The raid is part of a broader pattern of ICE operations undertaken during the Trump administration as part of a mass deportation agenda, targeting workplaces including farms, construction sites, restaurants, and auto repair shops.
