Federal agents descended on a huge Hyundai battery plant construction site in Georgia on Thursday, putting a stop to the building. Authorities said they made multiple arrests as part of an investigation into possible illegal hiring practices at the Hyundai and LG Energy Solution plant in Ellabell, NBC News reports. The plant, one of Georgia's largest manufacturing projects, is next to Hyundai's electric vehicle facility. Hyundai Motor Group began producing EVs at its $7.6 billion plant, which employs about 1,200 people, a year ago, per the AP.
The company said in a statement that it halted construction to help the investigators, but WJCL reports a video shows an officer at the site saying: "We are Homeland Security. We have a search warrant for the whole site. We need construction to cease immediately. We need all work to end on the site right now." NBC also verified video showing federal agents entering the construction site, informing workers of a search warrant, and ordering an immediate halt to work. A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the operation includes Homeland Security Investigations, ICE, and other agencies.
Georgia State Patrol troopers blocked roads to the site, and a helicopter hovered over the plant, per the Savannah Morning News. Workers reported that agents questioned them about their citizenship and searched personal belongings. Social media posts depicted agents assembling workers and conducting interviews. A Hyundai spokesperson said the company is cooperating with authorities and committed to following all labor and immigration laws. The president of the Georgia AFL-CIO issued a statement saying, "The raid is the latest in an ongoing campaign of harassment that has targeted immigrant Georgians as they try to earn an honest living," per WSAV.
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