Tensions Over Auto Jobs in Georgia Were Simmering Before ICE Raid

Before the immigration raid on the battery plant in Georgia that’s upended relations between the US and South Korea, there was growing resentment from locals who felt left out of the jobs, economic opportunities and wealth created by the factory, part of a massive $7.6 billion manufacturing complex anchored by Hyundai Motor Co.

In the nearby port city of Savannah, where over half the population is Black and most elected officials are Democrats, leaders questioned how jobs were being filled at the battery plant, a joint venture by the Korean companies Hyundai and LG Energy Solution Ltd., and other nearby factories. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican, and local politicians had touted the development as a boon to the entire region, eventually offering more than $2 billion in taxpayer-subsidized incentives.