Federal law enforcement officials said they conducted a raid at a Georgia battery plant they called the "largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations."
The operation took place at a Hyundai plant in Bryan County, Georgia. Officials said that 475 people — mostly South Korean nationals — were apprehended. Some of those present had entered the U.S. illegally, overstayed their visas, or did not have proper work permits.
As of Friday morning, no criminal charges had been filed against the 475 detainees, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Steve Schrank said.
"This was not an immigration operation where agents went into the premises, rounded up, and took them on buses," he said. "This has been a multi-month criminal investigation where we have developed evidence, conducted interviews, gathered documents, and presented that evidence to the court in order to obtain a judicial search warrant. Yesterday, we executed that search warrant and gathered additional evidence that will support this investigation."
Schrank said some of the workers were considered subcontractors, and even subcontractors of subcontractors.
Hyundai said it was aware of the operation.
"We are closely monitoring the situation and working to understand the specific circumstances," the company said. "As of today, it is our understanding that none of those detained is directly employed by Hyundai Motor Company. We prioritize the safety and well-being of everyone working at the site and comply with all laws and regulations wherever we operate."
The AFL-CIO issued a statement condemning the raid.
"Georgia’s labor movement is outraged by ICE’s escalating presence at workplaces across the state," Georgia AFL-CIO President Yvonne Brooks said. "This raid is the latest in an ongoing campaign of harassment that has targeted immigrant Georgians as they try to earn an honest living. Arresting and detaining workers, who are exploited every day and risk their lives every day on the job, creates an atmosphere of fear that terrorizes workers and their families and increases the workload burden on their coworkers.
"And when multiple workers have died during the construction of this very plant, the only federal action that could possibly be justified is to strengthen enforcement of occupational safety and health protections and other labor rights—a far cry from ICE raids."
The Hyundai plant opened in May 2022 and began production last year. The company said the plant would employ 8,500 workers.
