* Note - This story is ongoing and some of the details varied from source to source. I've done the best I could to make sense of it.
On Thursday, Sep 4, there was a huge ICE raid at a construction site for an electric vehicle battery plant in rural Bryan County, GA. The battery manufacturer, South Korea's LG Energy Solution, which co-owns the plant with Hyundai Motor Group, said in a statement that employees of both companies had been taken into custody. But, Hyundai Motor Company said "As of today, it is our understanding that none of those detained are directly employed by Hyundai," it said.
Hyundai's production of electric vehicles at the 3000 acre site was not affected, Reuters reported. Its partner in the battery joint venture, LG Energy Solutions, had paused construction work at the site.
Georgia's Governor, Republican Brian Kemp, had touted Hyundai's new electric vehicle operation as the biggest economic development project in the state's history, employing 1,200 people.
The raid resulted in the arrest of 450+ people. 300 or so are reported to be Korean nationals. It was the largest-ever Homeland Security enforcement operation at a single location. They were being held at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Folkston, Georgia, until the agency decides where to move them next. Read more about Folkston here. Apparently some legal immigrants were caught up in the raid as well.
A spokesperson for the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office says that agency had no role in the raid.
Jongwon Lee, a Korean lawyer who works in Atlanta, said South Korean conglomerates are bringing huge investments into the United States, but there aren’t enough visas to sponsor trained workers to run these factories. The blame lies with the American visa system, he said. The United States “invited us to invest in the U.S., but they don’t give Koreans proper visas.”
South Korea expressed "concern and regret" over the operation and urged the US government to respect the rights of its citizens. "The economic activities of Korean investment companies and the rights and interests of Korean citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon during US law enforcement operations," South Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement.
What I don't understand about these raids at corporations... why is it the immigrants who are made out to be the bad guys? Why do we have to wage war against the people who are struggling the most just to get by? Immigrants are human beings! Why is ICE not carrying away the corporate big guys who are bringing them in and subjecting them to low wages and unsafe conditions?
Claiming Responsibility
Tori Branum claims to be the person behind the raid and she's super proud of it. As she tells it, one of the union workers told her about the immigrants and she tipped off ICE. She is a MAGA Republican candidate for Georgia’s 12th congressional district. She loves Trump and is proud of ICE. Her district does not include the place where the raid took place - Ellabell, Ga., which is near Savannah.
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| This is Tori's cover photo on Facebook. |
I thought about sending a postcard her way, but it doesn't seem worth it. She's glorying in the attention and is using any negative comments to brag to her MAGA friends and for her campaign. She seems to be a Kristi Noem Wannabe.
CONTACTS
Rick Allen
(GA Congressman, District 12)
462 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2823
Raphael Warnock
Georgia Senator
717 Hart Senate Office Building,
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3643
Jon Ossoff
Georgia Senator
317 Hart Senate Office Building,
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3521
Brian Kemp
Governor of Georgia
206 Washington Street
Suite 203
State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: (404) 656-1776
SOURCES
Republican Candidate Takes Credit for Trump Immigration Raid at Hyundai Plant ~ Rolling Stone via Yahoo News
South Koreans Are Swept Up in Immigration Raid at Hyundai Plant in Georgia ~ New York Times
Examining Trump's post about Putin, Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping conspiring against the US ~ Snopes
Hundreds of South Koreans detained in massive ICE raid at Hyundai plant ~ BBC