Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officers conducted a massive raid at the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County near Savannah, Georgia on Thursday morning (9/4). The raid took place at the construction site of the HL-GA Battery Company, located inside the 3,000-acre campus. According to one source on the ground, HSI abducted approximately 450 Latin American and Korean workers.
A video uploaded by a worker to social media shows a masked HSI officer at the construction site identifying himself as Homeland Security and stating that HSI had a search warrant for the whole site. Later, a spokesperson of the Department of Homeland Security told monopoly media they “executed a judicial warrant as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes.”
However, organizers and workers responding to the aftermath remain skeptical of the narratives provided by the agents of a desperate and decaying state. This operation targeting a worksite owned by a monopoly from South Korea comes at a time of increased tensions between South Korea and the federal government over a $350 billion trade deal impacting the steel and auto industries. It is also just as South Korean president Lee Jae Myung has taken steps to improve the South Korea’s relationship with North Korea.
The Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) represents a $12.6 billion investment in the state, promising over 8,500 jobs when it becomes fully operational by 2031. It is one of the most advanced electric vehicle plants in North America, and represents the largest single investment and economic development project in Georgia’s history.
While the project has been praised by reactionary governor Brian Kemp for “creating jobs” and “fueling economic growth”, the reality is that workers report brutally exploitative conditions at Hyundai plants. Last year, Hyundai was fined for employing children at 50+ hours per week in Alabama. Labor organizers frequently report rampant wage theft, labor trafficking and similar abuses across the Hyundai supply chain.
What makes HMGMA stand out from other Hyundai plants is that it was designed around artificial intelligence and robotics, making it one of the most automated manufacturing plants in the U.S. Increased automation is bad news for workers, as it allows monopoly companies to produce more with less workers. The plant uses nearly 3 times more robots than the average plant. Among those include robotic dogs from the company Boston Dynamics (also used by Israel against Palestinians), roaming throughout the facility inspecting welds and identifying defects. Workers at HMGMA are expected to work at incredibly fast rates and under constant surveillance.
The raid happened at the construction site of the battery plant on the HMGMA, a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution. It is adjacent to the operational EV manufacturing facility. It is unclear whether those abducted are mostly construction workers or if manufacturing workers were also taken as collateral damage. This story is still under development.
Image: Federal police detain workers at the Hyundai site on 9/4, ATF Atlanta photo.
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