President Donald Trump issued a warning to the very same foreign companies he is pushing to invest in the United States, telling them to “respect” immigration laws and to hire American workers.
Days after immigration officials shocked South Korea, a close ally of the U.S., by arresting hundreds of people at a Hyundai battery factory under construction near Savannah, Georgia, Trump attempted to defend the raid in a Truth Social post on Sunday.
“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,” he wrote.
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“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,” Trump added.
Officials announced last week that they had arrested about 450 “unlawful aliens” at the site, though Korean media sources said the number of people detained could be as high as 560.
About 300 of the people detained were South Korean nationals, including employees of a different South Korean company who were visiting the plant during a business trip.
The president’s signature economic policy has involved imposing devastating tariffs on imported goods and then dangling the possibility of reducing the tariffs if foreign companies invest in the U.S.
In July, South Korea agreed to invest $350 billion in the U.S. in exchange for Trump lowering the duty on Korean products from 25 percent to 15 percent. The tariffs are paid by American companies, with the costs typically passed on to consumers.
The Hyundai plant arrests came just 10 days after South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae Myung, met Trump in Washington, D.C., where they both vowed to strengthen business ties between the two countries.
Following the Hyundai plant raid, South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs blasted the arrests, the Wall Street Journal reported.
“The economic activities of our companies investing in the United States and the interests of our citizens must not be unduly violated during the course of U.S. law enforcement,” a ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
The South Korean government has negotiated the release of its nationals and is chartering a plane to repatriate them, Reuters reported Monday.
The battery plant that was raided will be jointly operated by Hyundai and LG Energy Solution, a South Korean battery manufacturer, as part of a $12.6 billion investment in Georgia that also includes a nearby auto factory. In a statement, Hyundai told the Journal it didn’t directly employ anyone who was detained.
The raid was the largest worksite raid in the Department of Homeland Security’s history, and it highlighted that foreign companies are struggling to find qualified American workers, according to Reuters.
People in the Korean capital of Seoul were outraged by the operation’s optics, as footage of the raid showed armored vehicles and shackled workers.
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, Trump tried to downplay the impact the raid could have on bilateral relations with a key economic ally.
His Truth Social post also tried to strike a more conciliatory note after warning foreign companies to hire Americans.
“Together, we will all work hard to make our Nation not only productive, but closer in unity than ever before,” he wrote. “Thank you for your attention to this matter! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.”
