JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Republicans in Georgia spent years building ties with companies in South Korea, culminating in Hyundai locating a multibillion-dollar electric vehicle plant outside Savannah. But last week, federal immigration agents raided a battery factory at that site. They detained some 300 South Korean citizens. And as WABE's Sam Gringlas reports, the incident has put Republicans in an awkward position.
SAM GRINGLAS, BYLINE: When the Trump administration announced the largest workplace immigration raid in American history, many Georgia Republicans swiftly cheered the news. Round 'em up, posted Congressman Mike Collins. Representative Buddy Carter applauded what he called Trump's bold action. But apart from a statement by a spokesperson saying in part that Georgia remains committed to not allowing the incident to undo decades of mutually beneficial partnerships, GOP Governor Brian Kemp himself hasn't said anything.
BRIAN ROBINSON: He's the one who does have somewhat of a balancing act.
GRINGLAS: That's Republican strategist Brian Robinson.
ROBINSON: He's got to, on the one hand, consider his politics in Georgia, but also he's got to make sure that the South Koreans feel appreciated and make sure that bridges don't get burned.
GRINGLAS: During Kemp's first campaign for governor, he ran an ad offering to round up illegal immigrants himself in his truck. This summer, he dispatched the Georgia National Guard to help with immigration enforcement. But Kemp has also pledged to make Georgia the electric mobility capital of the world, aiming to create thousands of new jobs with the help of generous state incentives.
The Hyundai plant has been billed as the largest economic development project in state history. South Korean companies SK Battery and solar panel maker Qcells have invested billions here too. Kemp has even accepted The Korea Society's most prestigious award.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BRIAN KEMP: The peach is a meaningful symbol to us both. I understand that in Korea, it represents happiness, prosperity and longevity. That pretty well sums up Georgia's relationship with Korea.
GRINGLAS: That relationship goes back decades. In 2006, Hyundai's parent company, Kia, broke ground on a huge plant in west Georgia. Robinson remembers traveling to South Korea with Kemp's predecessor, dining with Hyundai executives at a fancy hotel in Seoul.
ROBINSON: We had these South Korean companies come in and really transform parts of the state. All of a sudden, there's some Korean restaurants in former sleepy Southern towns.
GRINGLAS: Robinson says these investments brought new life to struggling parts of rural Georgia. Trump has also urged big companies to make their products in the U.S. He was asked about the raid on Monday.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: And we're going to have to train people. And the way you train people is bring people in that know what they're doing and let them stay for a little while and help. So I'm going to look at that.
GRINGLAS: On Thursday, South Korea's president said Korean companies will likely hesitate to continue investing in the U.S. without improvements to the visa system. The raid at the plant, a joint venture of Hyundai and LG Energy Solution, has also provided an opening for more populist Republicans to dial up their criticism of the foreign corporations coming into Georgia. Congressman Collins, who's running for U.S. Senate, posted, tax dollars should not be used to steal jobs away from Georgia workers. Collins and other Senate candidates have tried to tie Hyundai to their opponent, Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, but not to Kemp. And it's not just Republicans walking a fine line.
DEREK MALLOW: I'm ashamed as to where we're headed. I almost wish we would take the Statue of Liberty and send it back to France because we've lost our way.
GRINGLAS: Democrats, like State Senator Derek Mallow of Savannah, have slammed Trump's immigration tactics.
MALLOW: But I also want to make sure that I don't have a corporate entity that is knowingly and intentionally subverting the law. And I also want to make sure that the people who are citizens in this state are receiving the opportunities that were promised when this project came.
GRINGLAS: A chartered Korean Air jet took off from Atlanta Thursday to bring the South Koreans back to Seoul. But the economic, diplomatic and political fallout from the incident is far from over.
For NPR News, I'm Sam Gringlas in Atlanta.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
