Clock: ICE “simply did his job with Hyundai arrests, says Trump
Many of the car workers who were arrested in a huge immigration offer from the US workplace had injured their visitors, say officials.
The Immigration and Customs Authority (ICE) said that 475 people, mainly South Korean citizens – worked illegally on Thursday in a Hyundai battery facility in the state of Georgia.
“People with short -term or leisure visa are not entitled to work in the United States,” said ICE, adding that the RAID was necessary to protect American jobs.
South Korea, whose companies in the coming years, partly to avoid tariffs, invested billions from dollars in the most important US industries in the coming years, has sent diplomats to Georgia and demanded that it respect the rights of its citizens.
Official: Raid at US Hyundai Factory “largest” in the history of home protection security
The arrested workers were captured in an ice cream facility in Folkston, Georgia, until the agency decides where it should be moved next.
Of the detainees, 300 Korean citizens are said to be. Hyundai said in a statement that none of them were employed directly by the company.
The BBC said the LG Energy Solution, which operates the work with Hyundai, that it should ensure the security and well -being of its employees and partners and that it “will work completely with the responsible authorities”.
In a statement on Friday, the ICE office in the city of Savannah said that the attack was “part of an active, persistent criminal investigation”.
“The persons arrested during the operation worked illegally what violated the conditions of their visa and/or status,” added the explanation.
But Charles Kuck, an immigration lawyer in Atlanta, told the New York Times that two of his customers were wrongly caught in the attack.
He told the newspaper that the couple was part of a Visa reference program in the United States, which enables them to travel up to 90 days for tourism or business.
“My customers did exactly what they were allowed to do as part of the Visa waiver – visited business meetings,” he said on Friday.
He said one of them had only arrived on Tuesday and will leave next week.
ICE said one of those detained was a Mexican citizen and Green Card owner with a long rap leaf.
The person had previously been convicted of the possession of narcotics who had tried to sell a stolen weapon and theft.
Steven Schrank, special representative of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), said: “We welcome all companies that want to invest in the USA.
“And if you have to bring workers to building or other projects, that's okay – but you have to do it in a legal way.
“This operation sends a clear news that those who take advantage of the system and undermine our workforce are held accountable.”
The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the raid with a statement: “The economic activities of Korean investment companies and the rights and interests of the Korean citizens must not be wrongly violated during the US criminal prosecution authorities.”
The RAID increases a possible tension between two of President Donald Trump's top priorities – to build up the production in the USA and to conduct illegal immigration. It could also burden the country's relationship to an important ally.
President Trump said on Friday in the Oval Office: “They were illegal aliens and ice cream was doing his job.”
When asked by a reporter about Seoul's reaction, he said: “Well, we want to do with other countries and we want a great, stable workforce.
“And as I understand it, we have many illegal extraterrestrials, some not the best people, but we had many illegal extraterrestrials there who worked there.”
Trump has worked to make larger investments from other countries and at the same time raise the tariffs from which he will give the manufacturers incentives to make goods in the USA.
The president was also committed to entering into illegal immigration and informed the followers that he believed that migrants would steal jobs from Americans.
The factory, which produces new electric vehicles, was advertised by the Republican governor in Georgia as the largest economic development project in the history of the state, which employs 1,200 people.
