Savannah mayor addresses ICE raid at Hyundai megasite

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Savannah’s Mayor Van Johnson spoke out about the recent ICE raid at the Hyundai Megasite during a press conference Tuesday.

The mayor saying, the city had no idea it was going to happen, nor did it have any involvement.

Mayor Van Johnson said the city and police department had no involvement in the raid, adding it occurred outside of Savannah’s legal jurisdiction.

He emphasized that Hyundai’s commitment to ensuring subcontractors is legal to work in the US needs to be addressed.

The mayor says his biggest focus now is ensuring there are ways to support the people impacted by this raid- which is being called the the largest single-site operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations in the country.

“Can you imagine mommy or daddy, or mommy and daddy, going to work, and this happens... you get out of school and you go home, and mommy and daddy are not there, you can’t reach them. You don’t know where they are. Imagine that.”

He added that the impact of this raid is being felt beyond just at the Hyundai Megasite in Bryan County, saying that raids like this tear families apart.

He also addressed how raids like this could affect Savannah’s tourism industry.

“We don’t wanna be thought of as the largest ICE raid in US history. But again, we have to be able to follow the laws. I know the question will be asked about our hospitality industry here, we expect that all of our employers are using the federal systems to make sure that people have the legal right to work here in the United States.”

The Savannah Tourism Leadership Council says that businesses already take steps to comply with hiring laws, making these raids less likely to happen in the hostess city.