Bryan County officials respond to megasite raid

BRYAN COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - WTOC is hearing from Bryan County officials following the raid at the Hyundai Megasite that resulted in 475 workers detained.

Homeland Security says the workers were here illegally. Most of the workers are from South Korea.

Off the bat, Bryan County Commission Chairman Carter Infinger addressed last week’s raid.

It happened Thursday at the Hyundai Megasite on the outskirts of Bryan County.

After Tuesday’s meeting, Infinger told WTOC Hyundai continues to pour resources into local clubs, organizations, and other parts of Bryan County. But he said he does not know about the subcontractors at the megasite.

We posed the question: WTOC has been reporting on unsafe practices since December. Are there any fines or repercussions you think Hyundai should have?

To which he answered:

“We weren’t involved in that whole thing. We didn’t know about it. That was an ICE raid. We didn’t know about it.”

The Chairman says the county did not have any part in the raid.

We also asked about his knowledge, given his involvement with the megasite and plans to bring their business to his county: We know that you have said this is a great partnership and it’s a lot of money that is coming in here. Do you think any of this has hurt the partnership or the friendship?

Infinger replied:

“NO, I don’t think so. We work with them on a daily basis, Hyundai. They are great partners in our community, and they will continue to be great partners in our community.”

Lastly, we asked the Chairman if there was any disappointment in the findings of the raid. He answered:

“It was disappointing, but we are going to go by the law, right? If people are here illegally, they don’t need to be here.”