Public sentiment is deeply divided regarding the immigration raid at the Hyundai plant. Many commenters express strong support for the enforcement actions, viewing them as essential for accountability in hiring practices and a means to protect American job opportunities. Others, however, express frustration over the treatment of undocumented workers, calling for greater accountability from corporations rather than penalizing the workers directly. There is a pervasive sense of outrage towards the perceived injustices in current immigration policies and corporate behavior.

Hyundai

U.S. Government

They weren't picking crops in a car plant!

TacticalSkeptic2

Why is a major company employing undocumented labor? After it shakes out, I’m sure many have work authorization and pending claims etc, but this is insane!

Own-Chemical-9112

On WTOC news website:

“The investigation resulted in the arrest of 475 individuals, Schrank confirmed.

The majority of those arrested were taken to the Folkston ICE Processing Center.

Schrank also said the majority of those arrested were Korean nationals and those who entered the US illegally did so through a variety of means.”

“Some that illegally crossed the border into the United States, some that came in through visa waiver and were prohibited from working, some had visas and overstayed their visas.”

I have been in Savannah over 40 years, long married to an Asian woman and don’t think we’ve seen 400 Koreans the entire time— my wife would know. I actually asked about the demographics they were looking for at that site and was told that actually a very small percentage working there were Korean nationals and that given the make up of the area population, they expected that to continue to be the case when production ramped up.

They bet on (are setting up factory for) producing all electric vehicles and now that the $7500 incentive on electric vehicles ends 9/30/2025, Hyundai has a lot of egg on their face between that and this unsightly event. 

While I’m not that ‘hawkish’ on a lot of USCIS/ICE news lately, but If Hyundai is found to be complicit, like no due diligence (475 illegals is hard to not see) they should definitely be prosecuted. They knew this is a hot issue, not to be  ignored. Yowser!

SadLanguage9097

are these big companies working with ice? ive heard that in louisiana they are hiring immigrants and ice is waiting for them when they show up at the whirly construction project and that they companies get a kick back

Boring_Appearance_89

Are the Hyundai people that hired going to jail too

LA213CALI

If they were Korean nationals like I saw reported, I think Hyundai owes a big fine in the $50 million range.

Suitable-Plenty-8265

only if ICE knew how many US employers are constantly hiring illegal workers to the point that some of them employ only H2B workers and people working illegally under b1 visa. Also doing tax fraud,etc :)

Working_Muscle_6597

Really weird that so many South Koreans would be employed in a specific construction job and be here illegally without South Korean entities being directly involved. Why else would South Korea be concerned for said citizens?  Good chance some sort of trafficking going on.

Miserable-Bridge-729

It’s the contractor who hired by Hyundai hires illegals, not Hyundai.

kimisawa20

This latest gem of a headline topping the Korean news tells a great deal about the Korean mindset. It shouldn’t surprise you, if you know that Korea has long been controlled by a handful of businesses. Here and abroad, they expect that their money grants them special privilege.

This:

“”US visa crackdown labels Korean workers illegal despite massive investments””

Their is a small group of influential, family-controlled companies in South Korea that is referred to as chaebol. The term comes from the Korean words chae, meaning "wealth," and bol, meaning "clan" or "clique". These conglomerates have extraordinary economic and political influence and have been integral to South Korea's economic development. 

Can’t be a hypocrite—that’s bit like the USA historically. From the “Robber Barons” of past days, to highly influential lobbyists like the AMA, money gets in the front door first.

Still takes a LOT of chutzpah and hubris to come right out and say “despite massive investments”

How stupid found the employer be for not arranging the right visas for their staff from Korea, especially in this climate? They know B1 and ESTA isn’t for doing work. Cheapskate employer and now the worker is fucked.

gitsgrl

*... the South Korea's foreign ministry said it has conveyed its "concerns and regret" ...urging special attention to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of our citizens are not violated.*

I'm confused. Did they arrested like at least 300 South Koreans? Holy .. ! They did! More than 300 South Koreans holding ESTA and B1 visas...

Ok-Delay5473

this article has more in-depth details on the raid:

  
https://www.chosun.com/english/industry-en/2025/09/05/62GPAKDYXBDO3PFSOYMRE3N4LY

yellow_trash

You’re here illegally, don’t work. CEOs and hiring managers will never go to jail, how convenient.


Same goes for the farmers that are hurting now. They hire illegals and then complain when these illegal workers are rounded up.
Now these farmers want us to pay for the loans they took out. WTF.

Learn to live within your means and don’t mooch off of others.

colorme1965

Was the human trafficker, oops, sorry, EMPLOYER also taken into custody?

continuousBaBa

I’m sure the contracting company and its principals will be held responsible. /s

callmesandycohen

this is hyundais responsibility to check it’s subcontractors.

Interesting_Chip8065

Boring_Clothes5233

When the Obama administration deported 3.3 million people the warehouse I worked at in 2015 had 83 people who were handcuffed and taken away in 4 huge busses. We never saw them again.  I had 3 friends get deported during that time. 2 were not criminals and were arrested and Deported when Obama did this

RicanAzul1980

The picture looks like Korean men in suits so blue collar workers , it’s entirely possible these people were consulting which they can do on a temporary basis with a B visa or ESTA to get the plant up and running to Korean standards . They are probably paid in their home country and live in temp accommodation ( possibly provided by Hyandai ). I’ll be interested to see how this pans out because many large corporations send their executives over to oversee setting new plants up . They then withdraw and recruit locally for the workers to actually work in and run the plant .

pentops65

Available_Farmer5293

From the Korean news today: “The government expressed concern and regret over the mass arrest of employees dispatched by Korean companies for the establishment of the local factory. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on the same day, "The economic activities of our investing companies and the rights and interests of our citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon during U.S. law enforcement processes," adding, "We have conveyed our concerns and regrets through the U.S. Embassy in Korea and requested special attention to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of our citizens are not violated." The government dispatched consuls from the Korean Embassy in the U.S. to the site and established an on-site task force centered around local diplomatic offices.”

So given the jobs report that we had today, is it really a good idea to have ICE sicked on foreign corporations from friendly allies with significant direct investment in the US? 

Let’s not forget that Samsung is also doing a $16 billion investment in Texas. All these companies in Korea are interlinked. It sets a bad precedent for others to try to invest in the USA.

But MAGA doesn’t seemingly care about creating jobs or prosperity. They just want to make everyone suffer.

Dense_Badger_1064

You’d think they’d start going after the corporations instead

instaBs

Interesting how the same article has a different headline is the Korean language version of Chosun.

In the AI-translated but still published in the English section of Chosun, the headline is: "U.S. crackdown arrests 475 at Hyundai-LG Georgia battery site."

However, in the Korean version of the article has this headline: '트럼프 MAGA'에 투자했더니, 돌아온 건 한국인 300명 체포 which translates into "In Return for Investing in Trump's MAGA, 300 Koreans Arrested."

I should note too that the article was translated by a commercial AI service: Upstage Solar. They tend to be highly capable and accurate, way more than what you can put into Google Translate or even ChatGPT. The headline, and some of the content, were edited after AI translation.

juicius

This is where the plant manager needs to be arrested and prosecuted and given a decade in the big house and every asset seized.

Do this a few dozen times and the illegal labor problem solves itself because if the people in charge are liable to lose everything including their freedom.   they will police the subs

Creative-Dust5701

Good luck finding Georgians who will work in dangerous vehicle assembly for low wages.

A more likely outcome is plant closure.

Flat_Shame_2377

The government just has to put a 200 000$ penalty per person, to companies that hire illegal immigrants.. Problem solved !

stockphotodesign

I think we need to start coming at this from a different angle.

If you are a small business who hires illegal labor you get hit with a $100,000 fine per illegal employee.

If you are a large business like this it's $1Million per illegal employee.

The caveat would be if you can demonstrate you did the best due diligence you could. Using E-Verify etc. and the fake ID they had was good enough to bypass the system. You're off the hook as you did the best you could to verify.  Otherwise...the hammer of fines must drop.

SickThings2018

Tukulo-Meyama

SumyungNam

Detained. Alleged.  
  
People are jumping to conclusions here. State department could have worked with Hyundai to audit workers visa status.  Big ICE raids like this are largely political stunts. They detain people all the time on suspicion. Probably just arrested anyone who looked Asian and didn't bring their papers to work that day.

There is a huge process that needs to play out now to actually verify people's immigration status. Behind the scenes of course. Quietly. But they got their big photo op.

Rapzid

Better yet, were these illegals assigned social security numbers when they entered the country via the corrupt NGO’s that were also funded by the democrats through USAID? Many illegals fraudulently obtained social security numbers by the Biden admin. They uncovered millions of dead citizens still collecting social security benefits. Some as old as 150 and beyond. The United Nations was giving these illegals prepaid debit cards and cell phones before they entered the country. Lots of shady crap was going on with this whole open border operation. 

Traditional_Gas5111

LMAO! This is going to be America's biggest egg in the face. This hurts their economy and trust in America. Hyundai now has a huge gap to fill. What makes you think they will risk hiring more people under this Admin? They can potentially lose a plant. This is also a lot of working people just removed from your local economy. This regime understands nothing about economics and how to run a country. They are running good working people out of America. This regime is making China stronger at speeds never seen before. Countries like Canada no longer trust America and is taking business/exports to China and Europe. America is abandoning all their allies, making new enemies, exporting their hard working people and what exactly is the result they are looking for? Regime so dumb it pumped billions of dollars into ICE to do all this self inflicted damage. As an outsider...I love to see it!

Vanilla_Ice_Jr

I wonder how many of these people that they targeted, are actually illegals.
I know when I bought a home by the beach a few years ago, all the workers were from other countries, and barely spoke English.  Same thing with the landscapers that worked our development.  The real estate developer, much like Trump does, hires these illegals because if they could find Americans to do the work, they said we all would have had to pay 35 percent more for the home, or our monthly condo fee would have gone up substantially to pay what American's workers would want.
American's complain about the price of things now, just wait to see what you'll have to pay if American's are doing those jobs.  Be careful what you wish for, is all I can say.

Objective-Echidna-23

They still haven't gone to Trump's golf courses yet. Wonder how many they would get raiding those?

STxFarmer

This news only makes the following even worse......

Only 22,000 jobs added in August and June's numbers were revised much lower to now become the first month we had LOSS of jobs. 

Farmers are having emergency meetings as we speak seeing bankruptcy looming.

LackingStory

&gt;“Those who exploit our workforce, undermine our economy, and violate our federal laws will be held accountable,”

When operations like this are conducted, they arrest the employees and the employers, right? I would imagine that both parties are arrested, but I never see this explicitly said in the reports. Or how does that work - do the employers get prosecuted after the raid and only arrested later in the process?

Conscious-Bar-1655

She might weep for the future of America's EV battery production.

BravewagCibWallace

Knowing ICE, they probably weren't even illegal. Just "not white" is good enough for them.

shinbreaker

Seeing that Hyundai is a South Korean company…

MinuteCollar5562

If you burn your house down you'll never have to worry about squatters. It's a very clever plan.

sayzitlikeitis

She will more likely weep for the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars ripped out of the local economy where those south Koreans worked 

Geist_Lain

This looks really bad for Hyundai, and if it’s true, is a good job by ICE. So of course I’ll wait until we see official charges filed, and wait to hear from these people’s lawyers about their actual immigration status before I make an actual judgement.

OrionJohnson

“Will Krystal weep for SK illegals?”

Only if they identify as Palestinian.

boner79

# A $7.6 Billion Bet Meets Federal Power: Inside the ICE Raid That Stalled Hyundai’s Georgia Dream

**ELLABELL, Ga.** — The morning hum of construction at Hyundai’s sprawling electric vehicle and battery complex, a 3,000 acre symbol of America’s green manufacturing ambitions, fell silent on September 4. By mid-morning, the site was ringed with federal vehicles. Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, flanked by Homeland Security Investigations personnel, moved deliberately through the half-built facility.

The official line was terse: a “targeted enforcement action” tied to ongoing investigations. But for Hyundai, its South Korean partner LG Energy Solution, and the state of Georgia, the raid was something else entirely. It was a rupture in the carefully cultivated image of the United States as a safe harbor for foreign industrial investment.

# A Showcase Project, Interrupted

Announced in 2022, the $7.6 billion Hyundai LG joint venture was pitched as a cornerstone of the Biden administration’s clean energy transition. It promised 8,100 jobs at full operation, a domestic supply chain for EV batteries, and a foothold in the global race to electrify transportation.

On the day of the raid, work stopped. Buses idled. Crews were told to stand down. The Georgia State Patrol blocked access roads. Overhead, a helicopter traced slow circles. The pause in construction immediately sidelined thousands of workers, from skilled trades to subcontracted labor, and froze millions of dollars in daily economic activity tied to the site.

# Economic Shockwaves

The immediate cost was measured in lost hours and frozen contracts. But the deeper damage may be reputational. “Foreign direct investment is built on predictability,” said one trade economist. “When a flagship project is disrupted by federal enforcement, it forces every boardroom to ask: could this happen to us”.

Georgia officials, who had offered Hyundai one of the largest incentive packages in state history, were left scrambling to reassure investors. The raid also raised questions about whether other high-profile foreign-backed projects could face similar interruptions, potentially chilling billions in planned investments.

# A Political and Legal Crosscurrent

The raid unfolded against a backdrop of heightened immigration enforcement nationwide, part of a broader federal push that has swept through construction sites, food processing plants, and logistics hubs. Supporters frame it as a necessary defense of labor standards and immigration law. Critics call it economic self-sabotage, a policy choice that trades long-term industrial stability for short-term political optics.

# The Trust Deficit

For Hyundai’s executives in Seoul, the images from Ellabell, federal agents in tactical gear, workers lined up for questioning, may linger longer than the headlines. On the global stage, the raid risks eroding confidence in the United States as a reliable partner for large-scale industrial ventures. In an era when supply chains are already fragile, the incident underscored a truth investors rarely say aloud: in the United States, even billion dollar projects employing thousands can be brought to a halt in a single morning.

# Ramifications Beyond Georgia

The fallout could extend far beyond Bryan County. Trade analysts warn that the raid may influence negotiations on future United States and Korea industrial partnerships, slow the pace of foreign direct investment in the clean energy sector, and embolden competing markets in Europe and Southeast Asia to pitch themselves as more stable alternatives. For the workers left in limbo, the disruption is immediate and personal. For the global investment community, it is a cautionary tale.

# Impact at a Glance

|**Category**|**Estimated Impact**|**Estimated Money Cost**|**Notes**|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|Jobs directly halted|\~3,000 construction and trade workers|\~$1.2–$1.5 million per day in lost wages|Includes subcontractors and site staff affected by the pause|
|Jobs at risk long-term|Up to 8,100|Potential $420–$500 million annually in payroll if delays or cancellations occur|Full operational workforce projected for plant launch in 2026|
|Daily economic loss|$4–$6 million|$4–$6 million per day|Based on payroll, supply chain delays, and contract penalties|
|Project delay|Weeks to months|$28–$180 million depending on delay length|Includes idle equipment, liquidated damages, and financing costs|
|Global trust impact|High|Billions in potential lost or diverted foreign direct investment|Potential chilling effect on future U.S. manufacturing projects|
|Investor sentiment|Negative shift|Increased risk premiums could add $50–$100 million in financing costs over project life|Reflects higher borrowing costs and reduced investor appetite|

CantStopPoppin

Bye bye major foreign investments (if there were any pending.)

titaniumlid

This is all on Trump and MAGATS. And all their stupid bullshit

kalidorisconan

Drug dealers and and the most horrendous criminals are working at battery plants with safety gloves, neon vest, safety glasses, safety hamlets, oil and slip resistant shoes? ...go it!

Genoism_science

And the plant gets relocated to another country in 3, 2, 1…

Life_of1103

And just last week, they were kidnapping firefighters in the middle of an active wildfire. These “officers” are savages destroying the nation by its very roots.

Thank_You_Aziz

No shit, a swasticar competitor gets raided...

castillo_482

Isn’t this MTG’s state? Funny they targeted Georgia the day after she called out Trump in favor of the Trump/Epstein survivors.

TheMoatCalin

This looks like something out of a history book if you’re part of this fuck you fuck ice fuck Trump. Do not comply with these fascist pieces of shit America traitors .
They do not care who you are. They do not care if you’re a decorated war veteran, they do not care if you’re a doctor, they do not care if you’re a nurse, they do not care if you’re a teacher, they do not care if you’re a firefighter. They do not care if you’re a pastor and I could go on and on. They don’t care about crime this isn’t about people being illegal this is an agenda. And it’s not for you and me

RoundCar5220

This doesn’t make a lot of sense. Facilities like this are very controlled jobsites. ID card entry per worker, and that’s just to the gate. Seems like a PR stunt to me. It is odd since there’s been no such thing in the construction of the ev plant in KC. But maybe because it’s a majority union jobsite.

No_Ranger966

When construction stops and growth that had been planned for years doesn’t get completed. Blame the Magats! These people are your neighbors. Hard working people doing what they do best. Fuck ICE and Fuck Trump and anyone who voted for that traitor.

ICE3MAN04

They are intentionally destroying the economy so they can buy everything up and own EVERYTHING. 

See also: The Great Depression

MadamXY

Square-Weight4148

Also, South Korea has experience with and perspective on authoritarianism and what a military force turned against its citizens is capable of, especially anyone there old enough to recall the 1980s.

jazzynoise

Disastrous_Wrap_4849

The only thing missing from this and the gestapo is the constant yelling and wielding of MP40's

6TheLizardKing9

No_Cherry_9569

Yeah but you’re missing the real victory here: these ICE agents got to feel important!

stopmakingsmells

Wow. The USA has lost its mind. Fuck Maga!

Accomplished-Set4175

The pig patrol need their bonus!! F the country!

Evilkymonkey_1977

Nurkeyterd

This is obviously what was going to happen - why did the powers that be want to ruin the us economy? Just for the hell of it? Russia?

retrofrenchtoast

not4jerkingit

It would be a shame of Hyundai moved their plant to a different state

thatirishguyyyyy

If anyone could stand up to ICE it could be a full construction site of people.

downbadinthedumps

Lol oh well, Georgia voted for this. Sucks for them

zripcordz

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AutoModerator

seriously not liking this timeline. this administration is going out of it's way to kill the country.

tinydevl

TechnologyDeep9981

Just ruining whatever still left.... 

Good job.

OkBlacksmith3433

Please_Label_NSFW

BrightonsBestish

Oh man, work buddy has a $200k deal with them... he's gonna be crushed if it goes tits up.

SupplyChainGuy1

Tariffs are meant to force companies to bring back manufacturing plants to the US. Foreign company invests in America. Administration nukes plant. Sounds about right.

Chteelers2018

Lol I wonder if they sleep with those stupid masks on.

TheMindsEIyIe

Why is the CEO of Hyundai not in prison? 

Why is the general manager of Hyundai's plant not in prison?

Why is the hiring manager of Hyundai's plant not in prison?

six_six

Leftists and Capitalists really should be aligned on immigration and open borders.

And by should be, I mean, *we already are*, philosophically. 

But pointing that out it leads to *a certain type of leftist* arguing the isolationist-nationalist position because even partial concordance with the great enemy is uncountenanceable.

Reagalan

This is so good for business. Imagine running a factory where every minute you are shut down is hundreds of thousands of dollars, maybe millions. And you are wondering where to build your new factory... Because maybe there's someone working there who has raped fewer children than the president. But(even though they are showing up to their court dates ) should be sent to a camp with no due process

SJ_Redditor

Well done. This will surely bring more invests to the US

Independent-Slide-79

So which executives were also arrested for hiring them?

diablo_cat

TheRealFaust

Imagine voting for this garbage, detrimental to the economy of the US and globally. Yes, the US has an immigration issue. No, using these tactics is not the solution. The solution is to use a more precise and comprehensive approach. This is like burning down your own house to evict a squatter.

pr0v0cat3ur

GolfResponsible3002

Remember folks, Hyundai isn't the victim here. They deserve this. They knowingly employed migrant labor for the purpose of exploiting their illegal status to pay them less than minimum wage, employ children, and to ignore worker protections. This is also great PR for Hyundai to take the public focus off of the 2024 lawsuit they were facing for their illegal labor practices. I'm sure some of you may have even thought about buying a Hyundai because of this story. The DOL suit alleges that they employed multiple children as young as 12 on assembly lines working up to 60 hours a week, wage theft, and physical and emotional abuse against employees. 

Hyundai and ICE are equally responsible for this crime against humanity. Now that ICE has kidnapped all the people who were part of the lawsuit, do they face criminal repercussions for their crimes now outside of just lost revenue? This is what human trafficking looks like. Their victims should be granted legal status on this fact alone.

kimjongunderdog

"BUILD EVERYTHING IN AMERICA OR ELSE!!"

*arrests the builders*

SanchoPandas

TendieRetard

Oof I think idiocracy took effect a little earlier in the USA. Makes sense though.

Valuable-Job5587

TRUMP: We want you to build manufacturing factories in the USA.

Hyundai: ok.

Trump: NOT LIKE THAT, take four times as long and cost three times as much.

onkey11

Still covering their face. Such tough foot soldiers.

What_u_say

Can we just CONNECT the dots here?

https://preview.redd.it/umdxgka6denf1.jpeg?width=1080&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;s=705f6de749e6318bccd90b1e0cc37d57da42b3a5

HRUndercover222

Are they going to arrest the owners ,supervisor and managers for employing them im sure they were aware they hired illegals

OkCup4836

https://preview.redd.it/i58yr3bbwenf1.jpeg?width=1170&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;s=60e8d6f73c676f37a1717ba0b54db3471edfefd1

NikkiNot_TheOne

They could not get a job unless the corporation Hundai hired them knowing full well they were as guilty as them. 

https://www.justice.gov/archives/jm/criminal-resource-manual-1908-unlawful-employment-aliens-criminal-penalties

HigbynFelton

Isn’t that trespassing? They had to of had permission to come into the property. Or a warrant

Cashrobson

Nearly 475 workers, predominantly South Korean nationals, were detained during a major immigration raid at a Hyundai battery manufacturing facility in Georgia, marking the largest single-site operation by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations to date.

US Immigration Raid at Hyundai Plant

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