Trump Calls On Foreign Companies To “Hire And Train Americans” After Massive Georgia ICE Raid
Over 400 South Korean Workers Detained in Georgia as President Issues Veiled Threat, Urging Respect for U.S. Immigration Laws.
President Donald Trump has issued a warning to foreign companies operating in the United States, urging them to prioritize American workers following a historic immigration raid at a Hyundai manufacturing site in Georgia.
The operation, which saw hundreds of South Korean nationals arrested, marked the largest single-site enforcement in the history of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
On Thursday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials descended on the sprawling Hyundai facility near Savannah, an under-construction plant intended to produce batteries for electric vehicles. The raid resulted in the detention of 475 workers, a majority of whom were South Korean nationals. Images from the scene showed individuals in handcuffs and ankle chains being loaded onto buses.
The raid comes just months after South Korea agreed to a massive economic deal with the U.S., including a $350 billion investment in the nation in exchange for lower tariff rates. This investment was touted as one of Georgia’s largest-ever economic development projects.
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump linked the raid to a broader call for foreign companies to “respect our nation’s immigration laws.”
“Following the Immigration Enforcement Operation on the Hyundai Battery Plant in Georgia, I am hereby calling on all Foreign Companies investing in the United States to please respect our Nation’s Immigration Laws,” Trump wrote. He welcomed their investments and talent, but with a specific demand: “What we ask in return is that you hire and train American Workers.”
The South Korean government responded to the detentions. On Sunday, President Lee Jae Myung’s chief of staff, Kang Hoon-sik, confirmed that negotiations with the U.S. had been finalized for the release and return of more than 300 detained workers by charter plane. South Korea’s Foreign Minister, Cho Hyun, expressed “deep concern” and planned to travel to the U.S. to address the situation.
According to Steven Schrank, the lead Georgia agent for Homeland Security Investigations, some of the detainees had entered the U.S. illegally, while others had entered legally but were in violation of their visas by working. Schrank noted that none of the individuals had been charged with any crimes.
The operation is the latest in a series of workplace immigration crackdowns during the Trump administration, and it threatens to strain relations between Washington and Seoul.
Trump on Sunday evening told reporters that the U.S. and South Korea could work out an agreement for South Korean nationals to “come in and train our people” in battery and computer manufacturing.
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