AMY GOODMAN: We begin today’s show with President Trump’s growing nationwide immigration crackdown as agents arrested dozens in and around Boston this weekend and Trump’s threatening more actions in Chicago and other so-called sanctuary cities this week. But in Georgia last Thursday, federal officials say they carried out the single-largest single-site immigration enforcement action in history when they conducted an immigration raid on the construction site of a new electric vehicle battery plant. The facility is a joint venture by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solutions. Some 300 of the 475 arrested are Korean.

This is DHS Secretary Tom Homan on CNN.

DHS SECRETARY TOM HOMAN: We’re going to do more worksite enforcement operations, because, number one, it’s a crime to enter this country illegally; number two, it’s a crime to knowingly hire an illegal alien. And these companies that hire illegal aliens, they undercut their competition that’s paying U.S. citizen salaries. Look, no one hires an illegal alien on the goodness of their heart. They hire them because they can work them harder, pay them less, undercut the competition that hires U.S. citizen employees. They drive wages down.

AMY GOODMAN: Over 500 federal, state and local officials participated in the raid. The agencies involved included not just ICE and Border Patrol, but also the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, the IRS and the Georgia State Patrol.

The construction site that was raided is in Ellabell, Georgia, near Savannah, is part of Hyundai’s massive 3,000-acre Metaplant campus. State officials say the $12.6 billion project is the largest economic development deal in Georgia’s history. Hyundai also has a factory in Alabama and plans to invest $5 billion in a steel plant in Louisiana.

This comes as South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung promised at least $50 billion of investments during his recent meeting with President Trump. The South Korean government is now sending a charter plane to pick up the hundreds of Korean workers after they negotiated their release. This is Kang Hun-sik, chief of staff to the president of South Korea.

KANG HUN-SIK: [translated] As a result of swift and united efforts by government ministries, business groups and companies, talks with the United States for the release of the detained workers have been concluded. But what remains now are only administrative procedures. And once those are completed, a chartered plane will depart to bring our people home. … To prevent a similar incident in the future, we will work with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and related companies to review and improve the residency status and visa systems for travelers on U.S.-related projects.

AMY GOODMAN: For more, we go to Savannah, Georgia, where we’re joined by Meredyth Yoon, litigation director for Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta. Yoon is a daughter and granddaughter of Korean immigrants.

Welcome to Democracy Now!, Meredyth. It’s great to have you with us. If you can explain just what unfolded last Thursday?

MEREDYTH YOON: Thanks so much, Amy.

So, the raid at the Hyundai mega-site began around 9:00 or 10:00 in the morning last Thursday and lasted the entire day, into the evening as late as 6:30 p.m. Approximately 475 people were detained, filling at least seven buses. The nationalities of those detained were mostly from South Korea, but individuals from Guatemala, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Ecuador and Venezuela also were detained. There are reports that some U.S. citizens, mostly younger workers, initially were subjected to investigatory detention. Some of them were released, and many of those detained had valid work permits. So far, everyone who the folks on the ground have been tracking has some kind of documentation.

AMY GOODMAN: Any kind of indication that this was about to go down? I mean, this is historic, the largest single-site raid in the agency’s history.

MEREDYTH YOON: That’s right. And from what we’re hearing, the circumstances of the raid were just absolutely abusive, not only in their scope and just the sheer size of it, but the way that those — the folks at the Hyundai plant were treated by law enforcement. Phones were taken from workers. People were pressured to sign papers. There are reports that tear gas was used and that agents on site were heavily armed. There were helicopters, drones, ATV and other military-style vehicles that were there at the site. And from what we heard, ICE was blocking the exits from the facility, threatening force if workers did not surrender.

AMY GOODMAN: So, can you, then, talk about what happened to the detained employees, where were they sent, and the timing of this, after the deals the U.S. is making with South Korea?

MEREDYTH YOON: The majority of the workers who were detained on Thursday were taken to the Folkston ICE Processing Center, which is an ICE detention center in south Georgia near the Florida line. It has been operating as an ICE detention center since approximately — well, since 2017, but has existed as some sort of correctional facility since 1998. The facility has had repeated, repeated reports of abusive conditions, including medical neglect, lack of information about people’s cases, as well as horrible conditions at the facility itself. In 2022, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General did an investigation of the facility and found multiple deficiencies and that the human rights of those being detained there were being violated. Those conditions continue into current times as to what people are facing.

With respect to the timing of this enforcement action, it’s incredibly — it’s just incredibly concerning to see, as people like Governor Kemp are trying to, you know, supposedly reach out to South Korean companies to develop the economy in south Georgia, that that has been a big part of what’s been publicly discussed. And then you see federal law enforcement, in conjunction with state law enforcement, including the Department of Public Safety and the Georgia State Patrol, participating together in this — in this investigation is just incredibly concerning.

AMY GOODMAN: We played a clip of the border czar, Tom Homan, talking about going after these workers because they’re taking Americans’ jobs. He continually refers to “illegal aliens.” He talks about taking rapists and the worst murderers off the street. And he also talked about how it’s illegal to employ what he calls “illegal aliens.” Were the owners of the plant, were those who were involved in this — in this company, both Korean and American, arrested?

MEREDYTH YOON: So far, we have not heard any reports that there have been any arrests or criminal arrests that have been executed as a result of this raid. What we have heard is that everyone who has been, you know, civilly arrested by ICE has some sort of documentation, including valid work permits. We’ve heard reports of people who actually have pending asylum applications, as well as work permits, being arrested. So it’s unclear why those individuals were detained.

AMY GOODMAN: It’s interesting. A headline out this weekend, Trump is quietly preparing to travel next month to South Korea, where he could sit down with China’s leader, he and his top advisers quietly preparing to go there in October for the APEC summit, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. The significance of this, in preparation, and what it means for any company who Trump is trying to lure to the United States to set up business?

MEREDYTH YOON: It certainly is a disincentive to companies that want to invest in the United States. When you see large raids like this, that are clearly intended to get a lot of public attention and cause intimidation, it seems at cross-purposes with the supposed goal toward economic development.

AMY GOODMAN: Meredyth Yoon, you are the daughter and granddaughter of Korean immigrants. How has this affected the Korean community, with hundreds of people being detained and apparently deported soon, at once?

MEREDYTH YOON: The Korean community is deeply concerned and disturbed by these reports. It is disturbing to see hundreds of people arrested, shackled at their waist and ankles, and loaded into buses and taken to an abusive detention center. So, the Korean community is very concerned about the treatment of those who were arrested, as well as potential future raids that could impact the community.

AMY GOODMAN: Where do you head from here? Who is appealing to you at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta? Is the community totally desperate at this point? And does this shut the plant down, having almost 500 people taken away?

MEREDYTH YOON: We have received many requests for assistance at my organization. Many local organizations that are on the ground providing immediate support in the aftermath have, as you can imagine, received many requests for help. There is a coordinated response, both — you know, who are supporting everyone detained, not only individuals from South Korea, but others, as well, with immediate needs after the raid — food, financial support, as well as assistance with connecting with legal help. So, those efforts are well coordinated and ongoing. And I’m sorry, the second part of your question?

AMY GOODMAN: The second part — well, we have to actually go, but I want to thank you very much for being with us. You’re holding a news conference today?

MEREDYTH YOON: Yes, we are, at 11:00.

AMY GOODMAN: Meredyth Yoon, litigation director for Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta. Yoon is the daughter and granddaughter of Korean immigrants.

When we come back, the Israeli military has blown up at least three high-rise residential buildings in Gaza as Israel expands its operation to destroy the city and forcibly evict the city’s 1 million residents. We’ll go to Gaza for an update.

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AMY GOODMAN: “Christmas in Washington” by Steve Earle, performing in our Democracy Now! studio.