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450 Illegal Aliens Detained in Massive ICE Raid at Hyundai Battery Plant Construction Site in Georgia

ICE staged a massive raid on the construction site for a Hyundai battery plant in Bryan County, Georgia on Thursday, detaining a reported 450 illegal aliens. About 1,400 workers are reported employed at the Hyundai site..

The construction site has been the subject of a whistleblower complaint for unsafe working conditions and employing illegals. Several worker deaths have occurred at the Hyundai site, according to local reporting.

ATF Atlanta photo.

The Atlanta ATF participated in the ICE raid, “Today, @ATFAtlanta joined HSI, FBI, DEA, ICE, GSP and other agencies in a major immigration enforcement operation at the Hyundai mega site battery plant in Bryan County, GA, leading to the apprehension of ~450 unlawful aliens, emphasizing our commitment to community safety.”

Excerpt from the Statesboro Herald:

According to multiple reports, ICE and Homeland Security agents came to the HL-GA Battery Company construction site at the megasite in Ellabell, which sits next to Hyundai’s electric-vehicle producing Metaplant. LG Energy Solutions is the parent of HL-GA Battery and is partnering with Hyundai to build the battery plant at the site. The officials announced they had a warrant and to stop construction immediately.

Mary Beth Kennedy, a senior public relations Specialist for HL-GA Battery Company, issued the following statement at 3 p.m.: “HL-GA Battery Company is cooperating fully with the appropriate authorities regarding activity at our construction site. To assist their work, we have paused construction. We do not have further details at this time.”

A spokesman for Hyundai said the company is “cooperating with law enforcement and are committed to abiding by all labor and immigration regulations.”

WJCL-TV posted video from the raid:

WTOC-TV reported on the raid and the site’s troubled history (excerpt):

Sources inside the Hyundai plant have told WTOC that ICE came in with multiple Humvees and that cars were being searched.

WTOC has also been told that there was panic at the site, with people running away, hopping fences, and trying to escape via rooftops.

Our WTOC Investigates team has been following this since last December, previously covering the Hyundai megasite’s alleged use of undocumented immigrants (who some workers say have been exploited due to their legal status), safety issues during the plant’s construction, the lack of local labor companies involved, and a federal lawsuit filed against the Hyundai plant contractor.

Kevin Souza, who worked construction at the plant, blew the whistle on the safety of the Hyundai megasite, saying undocumented workers were working in unsafe conditions.

Since we first spoke with Kevin, multiple people have died at the construction site.

Souza met with WTOC at the plant just moments ago, saying he’s happy something is finally being done.

“It’s not just about the workers that are here, it’s also about the way the workers are treated and the companies that are in there,” Souza says. “No one in America should be treated like that, or have to work in these kind of conditions.”

WTOC video report on the raid:

Audio of a press briefing on the raid given Thursday by Steven Schrank, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia, posted by WSAV-TV:

In April, Hyundai posted a promo video about the Bryan County plant:

Two years ago, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) announced Hyundai’s plans to invest more billions in the Bryan County plant:

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