WORKERS SHACKLED
A video released by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) showed Asian workers shackled at the wrists, waist, and ankles getting on a bus after the raid, which involved a helicopter and armoured vehicles.
The arrest of some 475 workers, including over 300 Koreans, at the plant near Savannah, part of President Trump’s escalating crackdown on immigrants, was the largest single-site enforcement operation in the US Department of Homeland Security’s history.
In the video, hundreds of workers were standing up in front of a building, with some wearing yellow vests with names such as “Hyundai” and “LG CNS”.
Two of the workers hid in a pond before being arrested.
“We welcome all companies who want to invest in the US, and if they need to bring workers in for building or other projects, that’s fine – but they need to do it the legal way,” Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama Steven N Schrank, said in a statement on Saturday.
“This operation sends a clear message that those who exploit the system and undermine our workforce will be held accountable.”
