Georgia’s Shocking Immigration Raid: What It Means for America’s Most Unexpected Ally—And Why You Should Care Now

Well, if you thought immigration raids were just another “blink and you’ll miss it” headline, think again. The recent wave of enforcement madness—centered around a massive bust at a Hyundai plant in Georgia—has shaken more than just a few cages. Imagine 475 mostly South Korean workers suddenly scooped up, then shipped back home amid a diplomatic storm that’s got everyone scrambling for damage control. What’s cooking behind the scenes? Stephen Miller’s infamous quota-driven crackdown, desperate to hit 3,000 arrests a day, seems to be playing out with no regard for international fallout. It’s like watching a high-stakes game where the rules keep changing, and careers — plus alliances — hang in the balance. So, how does this all connect to the bigger picture of U.S.-South Korea relations and the future of foreign investment? Hang tight — this story’s got layers worth peeling back. LEARN MORE

Lost in all the news churn over the last month is the fact that the administration’s blind-pig immigration enforcement policy has raised holy hell with this country’s alliance with South Korea.

On September 4, a massive raid on a Hyundai facility in Ellabell, Georgia, resulted in 475 workers, most of them South Korean, being detained. The detainees since have been repatriated to South Korea, where these events have caused a tremendous uproar. Now, the administration is scrambling to clean up its own mess. From CNBC:

South Korean state media reported that Washington has agreed to establish a new “visa working group” for the country, with discussions said to include Seoul’s desire for a separate U.S. visa quota for its workers. Currently, the U.S. allows employers to temporarily hire foreign workers in “specialty occupations” under its H-1B visa program, but the system is highly selective due to an annual cap and a lottery system.

A South Korean presidential spokesperson also told local media on Monday that Seoul is conducting a more thorough review to determine whether any human rights violations had occurred during U.S. immigration enforcement at the Georgia battery plant. U.S. government officials said that hundreds of the workers detained at the facility had been staying in the country illegally. Experts have told CNBC that the immigration actions—the single largest enforcement operation in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s history—could lead to other foreign businesses reassessing their workforces in the U.S. … South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has called the raid “bewildering,” adding that it would discourage future investment into the U.S.

I should think so. All indications are that this raid was undertaken as a part of the Stephen Miller siege of various workplaces aimed at fulfilling the president’s ludicrous ambition of 3,000 arrests a day. Nice work if you can get it.