The ICE Raids In Georgia Will Have Ramifications That Echo For Years

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When the masked marauders of America’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement contingent swept into Georgia last week and scooped up nearly 400 people, put them in handcuffs and leg irons, and sent them off to a detention center to be processed, the reason offered by the failed US administration was that they were illegally in the United States and such conduct would not be tolerated.

Apparently there is some truth to that. Indeed, there were legitimate questions about whether some members of the contingent had dotted all the “Is” and crossed all the “Ts” with their immigration paperwork. But the oversights were minor peccadilloes that could have been addressed appropriately in the normal administrative process. Perp-walking them to the buses was not necessary, but it did serve a purpose.

It sent a message to South Korea, a country that the US has defended at great personal cost in lives and treasure for over 80 years, and a country that has built numerous factories in the US, saying “You are not welcome here.” That same message, by extension, was broadcast to every other nation on Earth that seeks to do business in the US — if you send workers or executives here, they are subject to arrest and detention at any time. How this squares with the stated goal of the so-called president to get foreign corporations to invest in US based manufacturing is hard to figure.

There was a secondary message here as well. Those arrested were working to build a battery factory in Georgia, batteries to be used in future electric cars from Hyundai and Kia manufactured in a massive new assembly plant in Georgia. With the bitter opposition by this administration to clean energy and clean transportation, it can be no coincidence that a battery factory drew such a robust response from ICE storm troopers.

Georgia Incentives At Risk

The state of Georgia has offered substantial incentives to Hyundai and LG Energy Solution to get them to build those factories in Georgia, but the state has not uttered one peep of protest over the heavy handed treatment by ICE. Not a  murmur; not a demurrer of any kind. Hyundai and LGES had planned to invest a total of $7.6 billion in Georgia. Governor Brian Kemp has called it the largest economic development project in the history of the state.

Apparently the state or Georgia is more afraid of the MAGA lunatics running the show in Washington than they are of losing the jobs and tax revenue those factories are expected to generate — if they are ever completed.

Electrive this week quoted a spokesperson for LG Energy Solution who told media in South Korea that the company had already postponed the start of production at the battery factory until next year due to market conditions. “Market conditions” is code for the administration’s all out assault on clean transportation by repealing virtually all the provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act. He added that it was too early to say whether recent events would affect the plant’s operations. Additionally, the report specified that Hyundai has banned all US trips for its staff.

“We are well aware of the concerns that have been raised regarding our investment in the US following the immigration crackdown,” said Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff to the president of South Korea. “To prevent similar incidents in the future, we will review and improve the accommodation and visa system for those on US project business trips in cooperation with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and related companies. The government will ensure the practical implementation of all measures to harmoniously achieve the two goals of the swift release of detained citizens and the stable execution of the investment project.”

South Korea Is Furious

That is some seriously delicate phrasing, but behind the scenes, people in South Korea are furious with how the US mishandled this situation. Electrive also pointed out the conflict the US government has between its rabid immigration policies  and its desire to attract new investment in the United States. Beating a dog is not usually considered an effective way of getting it to follow you home.

The disconnect reveals how little control the alleged president has over the government. He is little more than a figurehead propped up in public while Neanderthals like Steven Miller and Russell Vought carry out their dastardly plans in darkness. One wonders whether the putative potentate even knows what his own administration is doing.

Last week, the US military blew up a boat carrying several Venezuelan men in international waters. The president says he never signed the order to do that, and yet military action outside US territorial waters specifically requires the authorization of the president. That leads to the question, who is really in control in Washington?

Making A Mountain Out Of A Mole Hill

While there were errors in the visas of many of the South Korean workers on site, the way the arrests were conducted was out of all proportion to those errors. Electrive pointed out that South Korean companies often cannot rely solely on US workers, but must also send their own specialists. Getting the necessary work visas is a difficult process, especially now as the administration makes immigration procedures more onerous. Until last week, those on travel visas were allowed to work on site, but clearly that level of tolerance has now evaporated.

While the South Korean citizens who were arrested will be allowed to leave for home this week, it is uncertain whether they or other technical experts from South Korea will return to the construction site in Georgia, putting the future of the battery factory currently under construction and further major investments from South Korean companies in jeopardy.

Kang DaeKwun, chief investment officer at Life Asset Management told the press this week, “The case demonstrates how tough it has become for Korean companies to make money from the investments in the US. Return on investment was already getting low due to inflation, and now companies face hiring challenges as well.”

Humiliating Guest Workers

Writing for Bloomberg, Mary Ellen Klas observed, “by releasing video footage of South Korean nationals shackled at the wrists and ankles, Immigration and Customs Enforcement managed to humiliate South Korean businesses and investment firms that had recently pledged billions to expand operations in the US.”

What’s the upside? It’s hard to see one. “Automakers with factories in the US are counting on EV battery deliveries to meet demand. Trump is hoping to stimulate foreign investment in American manufacturing. This raid helps achieve neither.”

Klas also points out that the whole sorry affair may have been a mistake. Some union members in Georgia complained there were undocumented immigrants working at the factory installing pipes and plumbing, so US deportation chief Tom Homan decided to send 500 ICE agents to respond — a classic example of a headline-grabbing response to a minor problem.

When the agents got to the factory and found hundreds of South Korean workers, they though they had died and gone to heaven! What an opportunity to show how tough and inflexible they could be. Chaining all of them and marching them onto buses was an ICE wet dream.

Halting construction of the battery factory and interrupting the labor pipeline will lead to higher costs and could lead Hyundai to reassess its plans to invest in a new manufacturing plant in Montgomery, Alabama, and its $5 billion proposal to build a steel plant in Louisiana.

A Breach In International Relations

According to reports from South Korea, those arrested are none too interested in returning to the US in any capacity, and who could blame them? So Donald, you can kiss your hopes of getting Korea to invest heavily in America goodbye. Actions have consequences and your actions will initiate a thorough review or goals and priorities by South Korean industry.

You and your personal mounted cavalry have destroyed any good feelings that may have existed with South Korea. America is now considered a hostile place to work for anyone who does not have a US birth certificate tattooed on their forehead.

The upshot of this fiasco is an inescapable conclusion that lunatics are clearly running the government and anyone from another country is subject to arrest at any time. Not exactly a recipe for convincing people to invest in America and another blow to the bloviating blowhard who thinks all it takes to make America great is to strut around and scream, “You’re fired!” into the nearest camera.

At this rate, by the time the so-called president and his cohort or stormtroopers are done, America will not be great, it will be a pariah among nations. Many of us will not live long enough to see our beloved country recover from these thoughtless self-inflicted wounds.