Ever since a massive immigration raid on a Hyundai manufacturing site swept up nearly 500 workers in southeast Georgia, Rosie Harrison said her organization’s phones have been ringing nonstop with panicked families in need of help.
“We have individuals returning calls every day, but the list doesn’t end,” Harrison mentioned, as the director of Grow Initiative, a non-profit that connects both immigrant and non-immigrant low-income families with essential resources.
Harrison indicated that families are experiencing unprecedented levels of crisis since the raid.
Of the 475 people detained during the raid, U.S. officials have confirmed that a majority were Korean and have since returned to South Korea. However, many non-Korean immigrants remain unaccounted for, leading to growing concerns among advocates and legal representatives.
The raid, described as the largest in two decades, took place on the morning of September 4, prompting immediate outreach from affected non-Korean workers to the local nonprofit Migrant Equity Southeast. The organization has been flooded with calls aside from the Korean detainees, including individuals from Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, and other nations in Latin America.
As the day unfolded, reports emerged of federal agents seizing cell phones from workers, forcing them into long lines, while some sought refuge in remote areas of the plant, even hiding in a nearby sewage pond according to the DOJ.
Off-site family members contacted organizations in a frantic attempt to reconnect with their loved ones who had gone silent since the operation began.
Many detainees, including those with valid work authorizations under programs like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, have caused confusion among advocates. Attorney Charles Kuck, representing clients from the raid, reported instances where some legally authorized workers were detained without justification.
In a deeply troubling aspect, families reported that the arrested individuals were often the primary breadwinners, leaving behind children and relatives in desperate need of daily supplies.
The economic ramifications extend beyond the raid as another major local employer, International Paper Co., is set to lay off 800 workers, worsening the situation for families in the region.
Local organizations are stepping up to provide assistance, but uncertainty surrounds the status of many detainees, raising serious questions about the criteria for arrests in this heightened enforcement climate.
“The worst phone calls are the ones where you have children crying, screaming, ‘Where is my mom?’” Harrison said, also lamenting the lack of clear communication from federal authorities regarding the fate of detainees.
