The Savannah area of Georgia in the United States, where a mass detention of Koreans by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) occurred 4th, has fallen into mass unemployment. After the construction of a Korean factory was halted, even traditional corporations that had supported local jobs shut down.

According to the local outlet the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) on the 3rd (local time), the closure of an International Paper plant, a traditional corporation in the Savannah area, is estimated to have cost jobs for more than 1,100 employees. The Savannah area has long been known for its timber industry, but as the sector has recently declined, two International Paper plants have closed in succession.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) releases video showing officers raiding and detaining about 300 Korean employees at the Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution joint battery plant construction site in Georgia, /Courtesy of ICE

The paper mills that closed this time are located in the metro Savannah area where Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) is located. For 90 years, these plants have used local forest resources to produce cardboard boxes and packaging materials.

The closures are expected to affect not only the 1,100 or so International Paper executives and employees, including local technicians, plant operators, and middle managers, but also the livelihoods of more than 52,000 people in forestry and logging who supplied timber to the plants. Land owners, forest managers, timber-hauling truck drivers, and auto repair businesses are also expected to be affected.

While Georgia was weighing additional support for the timber industry and repurposing the plants, the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant opened last year. As warehouses and logistics centers were built in the area, sales of dwellings picked up, and it was projected to create 15,000 jobs by 2031.

But in this situation, ICE conducted an immigration raid last month at the Hyundai-LG Energy Solution joint battery plant, leading to the arrest and detention of more than 300 Koreans, and all but one employee who wished to remain returned home. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter of the area and Economic Development Authority chief Trip Tolleson said they hope for the early return of Korean technicians to complete the battery plant.

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