SAVANNAH, Georgia—Hundreds of federal agents and Georgia State Patrol officers, equipped with military weapons and vehicles, descended on the Hyundai-LG electric vehicle battery plant under construction here Thursday. They terrorized and detained 475 workers in one of the largest workplace immigration raids in recent years.
The operation began Thursday morning with dozens of state patrol cars lining Highway 16 leading to the massive 2,900-acre production site. Authorities assembled multiple federal agencies and buses intended to transport the detained workers.
Their target was the Hyundai-LG battery plant, a joint venture project between two giant South Korean corporations. Multiple worker deaths have been reported in recent months. The workers, many of whom were already facing unsafe conditions and highly exploitative wages, became the targets of a militarized sweep.
The scene resembled a war zone as masked agents blockaded the entrance, turning away arriving workers and local news crews. On the site, agents lined workers up outside, checking identifications one by one.
Workers across the massive construction site were shocked, many unaware of the raid until they tried to leave and were rerouted. Anger and frustration spread as workers learned what was happening, often through Instagram reels posted by colleagues documenting confrontations with agents.
While some workers avoided detention and others were released with papers stating “CLEARED TO DEPART,” approximately 475 were taken. The raid concluded that night, with remaining workers able to return for a full shift on Friday.
The detained workers are now held at the Folkston ICA Processing Center in Charlton County. The facility, hailed by Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) as a beacon in the “fight to secure our southern border,” has been repeatedly cited by federal inspectors for inhumane conditions and violations.
More than 300 South Korean workers detained after the massive immigration raid and roundups of workers at the plant will, according to a South Korean government announcement on Sunday, be released and brought back to that country.
Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff for President Lee Jae Mying, said South Korea and the U.S. had finalized negotiations to send a charter plane to bring the workers back to South Korea “as soon as administrative steps are completed.”
The community response mirrors the fear and anger felt on the shop floor. The detained workers are integral members of the communities surrounding Ellabell, and their absence will deeply impact the regions around Savannah and Statesboro.
Condemned the raid
Migrant Equality Southeast (MESE), a key organization advocating for immigrant rights in South Georgia, condemned the raid and drew connections to the larger fascist assault by the Trump administration on workers across the country.
“This raid is not an isolated incident,” said MESE in a press release. “It is part of a dangerous, escalating pattern of government agencies arresting people at schools, neighborhoods, airports, and workplaces with growing impunity all over the U.S.”
MESE is now organizing support for the families of those taken, asking for donations to provide food, legal assistance, and help in reaching the detained workers.
The Savannah Southern Workers Assembly (SWA), which organizes the working class across the South, also condemned the action. A coordinator for the assembly stated that instead of sending ICE, the federal government should have sent OSHA or the Department of Labor to address the deadly safety conditions at the plant. Instead, the Trump administration has slashed the budgets of these agencies, making workers less safe and bosses richer and less accountable.
Georgia AFL-CIO President Yvonne Brooks also called out the raid. “Georgia’s labor movement is outraged by ICE’s escalating presence at workplaces across the state,” she said, noting that the militarized presence creates an atmosphere of fear. She joined calls to “strengthen enforcement of occupational safety and health protections and other labor rights.”
“Our movement will do everything we can to support all working families. That’s what solidarity looks like, it cannot be broken. Workers in our state will not be pitted against each other.”
The UAW issued a statement condemning Hyundai for its record of unsafe conditions, stating the company has “cut corners on industry-standard safety precautions, refused to respect workers’ right to a union, and relied on the exploitation of immigrant labor.” The union emphasized that the government is making a choice to crack down on workers instead of supporting them.
“Workers are not the problem. Exploitative corporations are,” the union said.
This raid stands out from others across the U.S. because an estimated 300 of those detained are South Korean nationals. The South Korean Foreign Ministry quickly issued a statement saying, “The economic activities of Korean investment companies and the rights and interests of Korean citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon during U.S. law enforcement operations.”
This, of course, highlights clearly the Trump administration’s approach to immigrant workers regardless of national origin. While they simultaneously weaken traditional alliances on the international stage, they are also targeting workers from said “allied” nations.
Workers at Hyundai are now grappling with the raid’s meaning for their community and the world. Many understand that migrants come here fleeing destruction caused by U.S. imperialism, seeking only to pay rent, care for their families, and lead a dignified life. They know an attack on migrant workers is an attack on all workers.
This struggle will continue, and through solidarity, workers will win.
John Darcy is a worker at the plant.
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