Perhaps safety issues at the workplace at the Hyundai factory in Georgia have led to the ice raid United States migration
A week after the federal immigration raid on a South Korean batteries factory under construction in Georgia, concerns about economic repercussions between the United States and South Korea increased. The detention of more than 300 Korean workers at Hyundai-LG in ELLALBell has created uncertainty about the future of the project and those who love it in Georgia, as well as the exact reasons for the aggressive and unusual workplace raid.
One of the reasons that has prompted immigration officials to take measures that threaten an important commercial relationship and political and economic development in one of the poorest parts in the United States: safety issues in the workplace that led to three deaths within two years.
In March, officials of the Ministry of National Security said in March, while coinciding with the second of three fatal work incidents on the site. It is imagined that the presence of uncomfortable workers has contributed to the safety culture culture issues in the workplace, if people are not free to submit complaints to the Department of Occupational Safety and Health for fear of deportation.
In April 2023, Victor Javier Kagga Gamboa, a 34-year-old construction worker, fell until his death at HL-Ga Battery Company after cutting the safety line. In March, Sunbok died there in a spiny crane accident. The report of the Brian Sharif Provincial Office described you as “placing behind the spinal lever” as a “blood path with a length of about 10-15 feet.”
Two months later, Allen Kawalasky, 27, was crushed to death due to a falling load of a forklin crane.
A a report It indicated from Atlanta Journal-ConsTulation that construction and mortality injuries have surpassed the average industry for a project the size of the battery factory. A story Savannah Morning News indicated that 91 ambulance calls were made from the construction site for 20 months.
Hyundai and LG were asked whether the workers in this or other sites owned by LG or Hyundai are free to report safety issues in the workplace without revenge, and if they believe that safety issues at the workplace-especially the death of three employees at the work site over the past two years-have contributed to the decision to investigate internal security to search for an inspection order and an employee at the HL-GA site.
“All the employees we rented directly to HL-GA Battery Company are working legally, and we will work with our suppliers to apply the same standards,” said Phil Lenrett, a spokesman for LG Energy Solution, a partner in the battery factory.
He added: “The health and safety of every person in our facilities and construction sites is our highest priority.” “Our direct employees, as well as subcontractors, are aware of our commitment to safety, policies of occupational safety and health. With subcontractors and the relevant authorities, we have supported completely comprehensive investigations to determine the fundamental cause of the accident and help prevent such incidents in the future.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of National Security will not confirm, but he did not deny that safety cases contributed to the investigation. But he expressed doubts about the allegations made by Tori Branum, a Republic and precedent for the US Naval Wind to run for Congress in Georgia, that her calls from complaint to ice paid the procedure.
“I don’t know who he is,” said Lindsay Williams, an ICE spokeswoman. “The executive summary that has been informed of it has no name at all … it has nothing to do with our investigation.”
Charles Cook, a migration lawyer representing four detained workers, said that the raid conducted by internal security investigations and other agencies ended with 475 people in detention, including 320 Korean citizens, most of them from the B-1 visa or entered with a visa. He said that the fear of reporting safety problems due to the possibility of deportation is a “reasonable” issue.
When the ice made arrests, “There were a lot of the Mexican people, the Guatemali, the Chilean, the Colombian, the Ecuadorian and the Venezuelan.” Of course, many of these people were documented. Many of these people had valid work permits. Many of these people were legally here. But of course, this does not matter, because regardless of the existence of documents or not, we have already seen that even if you follow the quotation law, it does not matter, it still deals with them in a certain way. “
The incentives offered by the law to reduce inflation stimulated more than $ 55 billion in special investments by Korea in the United States, according to the Economic Institute in Korea, USA, a company that considers Washington, DC, funded by the South Korean government. The country’s investments have decreased in recent years in A. band Starting from Detroit and ends around Savana, Georgia, it passes through the rust belt in America, the states of Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia.
Georgia had a particularly strong relationship with South Korea over the years, and it is the product of accurate economic diplomacy and a wave of Korean immigration. The third most speaking language in most states in Chinese, French or German. In Georgia, it’s Korean.
“Georgia has always worked to maintain a strong relationship with the Republic of Korea and Korean partners like Hyundai, extending to 40 years to create the Georgia Trade Office in Seoul,” said Brian Kemp, the governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp. “We are grateful because they repeat their commitment to adhere to all federal and state laws, and we are still committed to not allowing this unfortunate incident to retract contracts from the useful partnerships of the two parties that we have built together.”
Georgia has raised more than $ 21 billion in investing in the manufacture of South Korea through 20 projects since the issuance of the law to reduce inflation in 2022.
“There are no repercussions of relationship,” said Trip Tollson, President and CEO of the Economic Development Authority in Safana. “It is important to note that those who were detained were not full-time and permanent employees and were here to install advanced equipment and train employees on that equipment. The HL-Ga JV battery told us that they are committed to the Savanna facility and that they focus on issuing detainees.” Tollison emphasized the temporary nature of employees because the conditions of their visas did not allow them to extend work trips.
Tollison said that the main Hyundai Motor Factory has created more than 2,800 jobs, with the expected number of jobs between Hyundai and 21 suppliers 15,716, by investing $ 10 billion in capital.
“This has not changed,” he said. “We haven’t studied an economic impact yet, but we will complete one time in the near future.”
Georgia’s political leaders insist that everything will be fine, although Donald Trump’s immigration policy is sharply incompatible with the interests of foreign investors.
South Korea political leaders insist on everything no Well, while moving to a large extent to workers safety issues and employment practices for their subconscious contractors that may have pushed the raid in the first place.
Thursday morning, South Korean President Lee Jay Meong He said Corporation is likely to be reluctant to invest in the United States to move forward.
He said: “These are not such a long -term workers. When you build a factory or install equipment in a factory, you need technicians, but the United States does not have these workforce, yet it will not issue visas to allow our people to stay and do work.”
“If this is not possible, the establishment of a local factory in the United States will either come with severe defects or become very difficult for our companies. They will wonder if they should do this,” he added.
In July, South Korea negotiators and the United States agreed to a 15 % tariff on South Korean goods – instead of the customs tariff that was on the table – compared to a pledge to invest $ 350 billion in new investments in the United States. Business leaders in South Korea Declare It plans to invest an additional $ 150 billion in American companies after a August summit. Hyundai alone Declare Its intention to invest an additional $ 26 billion in American manufacturing just three weeks ago.
The scope of those investments, from artificial intelligence to shipbuilding and nuclear energy, wide. Likewise, it is the scope of the benefit that the new president of South Korea has pursued strongly to American investment to light the South Korean economy.
On Thursday, the CEO of Hyundai Jose Montes said the arrests, and the departure of their joint project employees to South Korea today, will re -finish the battery factory.
“This will give us a delay, at least for two to three months, because all of these people now want to return,” Monos told reporters in Detroit on Thursday. “Then you need to know how you can fill these situations. For the largest part, these people are not in the United States.”