"These are the details of 316 South Korean nationals' experiences in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention that have flooded the country's media in the weeks after the September 4 raid on a Hyundai-LG electric vehicle battery plant in Ellabell, Georgia. Zip ties. Helicopters. Crowded cells. Guns trained on bewildered workers. Foul water. Forced vaccinations. An unconscious detainee left on the floor by negligent guards."
"There is far more at stake than a single factory in Georgia, which by itself represented 8,500 jobs and $4.3 billion in investment, and is just one of 23 plants being built across the U.S. by Korean conglomerates. Since the raid, the U.S. and South Korea have announced that Korean workers will be able to use B-1 visas and ESTA visa waivers to continue working in the U.S."
"But U.S. flexibility on immigration is not all that matters. Seoul and Washington have yet to finalize their trade deal instigated by Trump's threat to impose a 25 percent blanket tariff on South Korean goods. At the current stage of negotiations, South Korea has agreed to accept a 15 percent tariff on its exports and provide tremendous investments and other financial agreements: $350 billion in state-backed"
Federal immigration agents raided a Hyundai-LG electric vehicle battery plant in Ellabell, Georgia on September 4, detaining 316 South Korean nationals. Detainees reported zip ties, helicopters, crowded cells, guns trained on workers, foul water, forced vaccinations, negligent guards, a handcuffed pregnant woman, demeaning taunts, and inadequate menstrual supplies. The plant alone represented 8,500 jobs, $4.3 billion in investment, and one of 23 Korean-built U.S. plants. The United States and South Korea agreed to allow B-1 visas and ESTA waivers for Korean workers. A congressional bill seeks 15,000 E-4 professional visas. Trade talks remain unsettled, with Seoul accepting a 15 percent tariff and large state-backed investment commitments.
Read at Truthout
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]