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ICE agents raided a massive Hyundai plant in Georgia last Thursday and arrested nearly 500 workers. Most of the workers were Korean nationals who were building electric car batteries. This was the largest single-site immigration raid in American history.
The raid has created a major problem with South Korea, one of our closest allies. South Korean politicians are furious and have been blasting America over this operation. They even sent a special plane to bring their workers home from detention.
Here’s what makes this story really troubling. Many of the arrested workers actually had valid work permits to be in America. They weren’t breaking any laws, yet they got rounded up anyway. ICE hasn’t even charged these people with crimes.
The timing couldn’t be worse for America’s relationship with South Korea. Hyundai is investing over 12 billion dollars in Georgia to build this plant. South Korea just agreed to invest hundreds of billions more in America in exchange for lower trade costs.
Reports say ICE agents used heavy-handed tactics during the raid. Workers described being threatened and even tear-gassed by heavily armed federal agents. Many were shackled at their waist and ankles before being loaded onto buses.
The detained workers ended up in a private detention center that ICE recently found violating federal safety standards. This is no way to treat workers from a friendly nation who were following the rules. The whole operation looks like a massive government screw-up.
South Korea worked out a deal with Washington to get over 300 of their workers released. But the damage to our alliance is already done. Our foreign partners are watching how we treat their citizens on American soil.
This raid shows what happens when immigration enforcement goes too far without proper planning. We need strong borders and immigration laws, but we also need smart leadership that protects our friendships with allies like South Korea.
