Key Points
- Nearly 475 workers detained in Georgia raid, including about 300 South Koreans.
- Trump tells foreign companies to follow U.S. immigration laws and train American staff.
- South Korea reached deal with Washington for deportation and repatriation flights.
- White House signals more worksite enforcement actions are likely.
ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump on Monday warned foreign companies operating in the United States that they must respect immigration laws and commit to training American workers, following a high-profile raid at a Hyundai-LG electric vehicle battery plant in Georgia
Authorities swept up nearly 475 labourers, including about 300 South Korean nationals. Reuters described it as the largest single-site immigration enforcement operation carried out under the Department of Homeland Security.
President Trump, addressing reporters before departing for an event in New Jersey, insisted that while the U.S. welcomes overseas investment, it cannot come at the expense of American jobs or in violation of labour rules.
“Please respect our Nation’s Immigration Laws,” Trump said, adding that his administration is considering ways to temporarily allow foreign experts to enter legally for the purpose of training local staff.
The raid has already strained ties with Seoul. South Korea dispatched senior officials to Washington after video footage showed detainees in handcuffs.
Following urgent talks, both sides reached a repatriation deal, under which the arrested South Koreans will be deported and flown home on charter flights this week, according to reports by The Washington Post and Reuters.
Seoul’s foreign ministry confirmed the arrangement but expressed regret over the release of the images.
For Trump, the incident dovetails with a broader push to toughen enforcement against illegal labour practices.
Officials have said more workplace raids can be expected, especially in sectors that rely heavily on foreign labour.
Business groups, meanwhile, warn that the crackdown risks unsettling global investors at a time when the US is racing to expand its electric vehicle supply chain.
The Georgia plant at the centre of the controversy is one of several multibillion-dollar projects launched by Hyundai and LG as part of a wider Korean investment wave into the U.S. battery and electric vehicle sector.
Both companies are considered critical to Washington’s effort to secure clean-energy manufacturing and reduce reliance on Chinese supply chains. Yet the arrests highlight the tension between attracting foreign capital and enforcing strict immigration compliance.
