They Cannot Hide: Raid at Auto Plant Leads to Arrests

Korean automaker Hyundai is currently building a new plant in Ellabell, Georgia, a small town 25 miles west of Savannah. Construction was progressing normally until federal officers raided the site and eventually arrested 475 individuals.

Officials reported most of those arrested were Korean nationals. Many of those taken into custody were arrested for entering the United States illegally. Others had visa waivers and were banned from working in the states while some has over-stayed their visas. Officers are still working to determine the companies that employed these workers.

This is great news and all companies conducting business in the United States should take action to ensure all their employees are legally permitted to work here. Corporations have been getting away with hiring illegal workers for years and this must stop.

Such employment opportunities encourage illegal immigration and cause hardship on our social services agencies. The illegal workers work for less wages and take jobs away from Americans. Lower wages help them qualify for social assistance for housing, medical care and food. They collect these benefits while hard-working Americans struggle to make ends meet.

I am not against legal immigration. Each of my grandparents and my father all were born in various European nations and came to America by legal means. They had to demonstrate the ability to provide for themselves or have someone take care of them. They learned English and assimilated into the American culture. There were no handouts as we have today.

Welcome those who strive to make a better life for themselves and their families. Welcome those who can make a positive contribution to the American economy. Welcome those who will cherish the idea of being an American citizen.