U.S. politician who reported the LG-Hyundai plant to ICE faces online backlash

A U.S. politician who claimed to have tipped off U.S. immigration authorities about alleged hiring practices at the LG Energy Solution-Hyundai Motor Group plant in Georgia is facing a wave of online harassment.

Tori Branum said she has been inundated with criticism online, accused of jeopardizing multibillion-dollar deals with Korea and that even her underage children were being subjected to cyberstalking.

A former Marine marksmanship instructor, Branum is registered as a Republican candidate in Georgia’s 12th Congressional District for next year’s midterm elections. She is known as a staunch supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Interesting how this works: I stand up for American workers and expose dangerous conditions that could’ve cost lives, and suddenly my phone is blowing up,” she wrote on Facebook on September 7. “I’ve been ‘signed up’ for anti-racism courses, volunteered as a sponsor for an LGBTQ parade, and even invited to a Mormon baptism. Looks like somebody got ahold of my number. Nice try. I’m not backing down.”

In an interview published on September 5 in Rolling Stone, Branum said she had reported the plant to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over claims that it was not hiring local Georgia residents.

Since making the report, Branum said she has received an onslaught of text messages, phone calls and social media posts filled with “a lot of hate.”

Branum posted a photo of herself on Facebook in response, holding a modified, AR-15-style rifle with a laser scope. “I’m kinda curious what that was [that] you said in my inbox,” Branum wrote. The post has been taken down as of September 8.

The backlash online has been fierce.

“How dumb do you have to be to ruin a multibillion-dollar contract with Korea because of white supremacy or MAGA hate?” wrote one user on X. The user called her “Gestapo,” comparing her actions to racial discrimination.

Another user accused Branum of reporting people who had valid visas and were participating in a joint U.S.-Korea project. A commenter added, “If Hyundai pulls out of Georgia and we lose 8,500 jobs, who should we thank? Tori is trying to keep Georgians from getting jobs.”

“This is proof that people get paid to harass people,” wrote Branum on Facebook in response on September 7. “Only a few of these are from Georgia and my phone has been ringing nonstop since yesterday with very vile voicemails. Some of them sound like they’re 12 and they think I’m gonna take them serious lol they would run away and pee their pants.”

“I can’t wait until they release more information on the investigation. From what I understand, this wasn’t really a criminal raid anyway it was more of a humanitarian raid.”

BY SHIN HYE-YEON [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]