Almost 500 people, including most South Koreans, were arrested by the immigration police in a battery manufacturing plant in Hyundai and LG South Korean groups in the state of Georgia (southeast), suspected of working illegally in the United States.
The raid, held on Thursday, September 4, results from a “criminal investigation linked to accusations of illegal hiring practices and serious federal crimes,” Steven Schrank, agent of the Interior Ministry of the United States during a press conference, said on Friday.
This is “the most important operation of the Police in the same place as the history of the National Security Investigation Service (‘Internal Security Research’),” said Atlanta, in the state of Georgia.
The 475 people arrested in this factory, located in the city of Ellabell, “were found illegally in the United States” and “worked illegally,” said Steven Schrank, emphasizing that the “majority” of them were nationality of South Korea.
“Ensure the safety and well -being of our employees”
Requested by the AFP in the United States, the automobile manufacturer replied “aware of the recent incident” in this factory, “monitoring the situation closely and working to understand the specific circumstances” of this case.
“At this stage, we understand that none of the arrested were used directly by the Hyundai group,” he continued, ensuring “priority to the safety and well -being of anyone who worked on this site and complied with all legislation and regulations.”
For his part, LG Energy Solution said he followed “the situation closely and collects all the relevant information.”
Seoul on diplomatic mission
South Korea, the fourth economy in Asia, is an important car manufacturer and producer of electronic equipment with many factories in the United States.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea also made a decline in the state of police in the “site of a battery factory of a company (South Korean) in Georgia.” “Several Korean citizens have been arrested,” said Lee Jae-Woong, ministry spokesman.
Seoul sent the diplomatic staff on the site, especially with the mission of creating a working group to deal with the situation. South Korean authorities have also reported the United States embassy in Seoul “(their) concern and (its) regret” with respect to this case.
In July, South Korea promised to invest $ 350 billion in the United States territory after threats to the customs duties of Donald Trump.
The most important immigrant expulsion program
He was chosen for a second term in November 2024, particularly in the promise of implementing the most important immigrant expulsion program in the history of his country.
Since then, his government has attacked with the greatest firmness of about eleven million undocumented migrants present in the United States. At the price, according to NGOs, members of civil society and the United Nations, frequent human rights violations.
From Atlanta, the Office of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) explained in X that they participated in the arrest of around 450 “foreigners in an irregular situation” during an operation in a battery factory, a joint company between Hyundai and LG.
Source: BFM TV
