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President Donald Trump said foreign companies should bring workers in legally or hire Americans.
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Hundreds of workers were detained in an ICE raid on a Hyundai facility in Georgia on Thursday.
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South Korea says it has finished talks with the US to return its detained nationals.
President Donald Trump said foreign companies that want to do business in the US should respect the country’s immigration laws and bring their workers in legally.
Trump made these remarks in a Truth Social post on Sunday. His post came after hundreds of workers were detained in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid on a Hyundai facility in Georgia on Thursday.
“I am hereby calling on all Foreign Companies investing in the United States to please respect our Nation’s Immigration Laws,” he wrote.
“Your Investments are welcome, and we encourage you to LEGALLY bring your very smart people, with great technical talent, to build World Class products, and we will make it quickly and legally possible for you to do so. What we ask in return is that you hire and train American Workers,” he added.
On Sunday, Kang Hoon-sik, the chief of staff to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, said his country had concluded talks with the US on returning its detained citizens.
“Negotiations for the release of the detained prisoners have been concluded,” Kang said on Sunday. “Only administrative procedures remain, and as soon as these are completed, the chartered plane will depart to take our citizens home.”
Hundreds of workers detained during ICE raid
Footage released by ICE showed the workers being shackled at the wrists, waist, and ankles before being led onto a bus.Corey Bullard/US Immigration and Customs Enforcement via AP
Nearly 500 workers were detained at a Hyundai-LG battery facility in Georgia. Footage released by ICE showed the workers being shackled at the wrists, waist, and ankles before being led onto a bus.
The raid was part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices and other federal crimes, an official for the Department of Homeland Security told Business Insider.
“This, in fact, was the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security investigations,” said Steven Schrank, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations for Georgia, during a press conference Friday.
A total of 475 workers were detained, a majority of whom were Korean nationals, the official said. The arrests included many subcontractors, and no formal charges had been filed at the time of the press conference, the official added.
On Sunday, LG Energy Solution’s chief human resource officer, Kim Ki-soo, flew to Georgia to address the fallout from the raid.
Kim told reporters before his flight that LG’s “top priority” is for the “prompt and early release” of both LG’s and Hyundai’s employees.
“The government is also responding with all its might, and we will do our best to ensure everyone’s safe and speedy return,” Kim added.
A raid on one of the world’s largest automakers
Hyundai, based in Seoul, is one of the world’s largest automobile manufacturers by revenue.
The Georgia battery factory that was raided is still under construction and due to open in the first half of next year. It is part of a larger, $7.6 billion operation that includes a production plant for Hyundai’s electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, as well as autos for its Genesis luxury brand and sister company, Kia.
“Hyundai Motor Company is aware of the immigration enforcement action that took place at the construction site of its supplier, the HL-GA Battery Company, in Bryan County, Georgia,” the company said in an updated statement.
“We are closely monitoring the situation while working to understand the specific circumstances. Based on our current understanding, none of those detained is directly employed by Hyundai Motor Company,” it added.
Hyundai said that it is “committed to full compliance with all laws and regulations in every market where we operate,” including employment verification and immigration laws.
Chris Susock, the North America chief manufacturing officer, is taking over the Georgia site and ensuring that subcontractors follow regulations, per Hyundai.
“As we continue to invest in American manufacturing and create thousands of jobs, we will do so in full accordance with US law and in a manner that reflects our values of treating all people with dignity and respect,” the company added in its updated statement.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday that Park Yoon-joo, the country’s first vice-minister of foreign affairs, expressed regret over the matter during his call with US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Allison Hooker.
Park told Hooker during their call that the economic activities of Korean companies investing in the US, as well as the rights and interests of its citizens, must not be unfairly violated when the US kicks off any law enforcement proceedings.
ICE raids nationwide
Since the start of Trump’s second presidency in January, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have made arrests at a range of worksites across the country, including a meat-processing plant in Omaha, Nebraska, a fire-equipment company in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, and a Louisiana racetrack. Day laborers outside of Home Depot locations have also been targeted. Trump administration officials have reportedly pushed for a goal of making a minimum of 3,000 immigration-related arrests per day.
Trump signed a bill into law in July that provides ICE with additional funding and resources to assist in the arrests of immigrants living in the US illegally, including enough detention capacity to maintain an average daily population of 100,000 individuals.
The raid comes more than a month after Trump announced a new trade agreement between the US and South Korea. The deal imposes a 15% tariff on most US imports from South Korea, including automobiles, in exchange for duty-free treatment on many American products.
Update: 9/5/2025 — This story now contains an updated statement from Hyundai.
Read the original article on Business Insider
