President Donald Trump on Sunday defended a large Immigration and Customs Enforcement workplace raid at a Hyundai battery plant construction site in Georgia, saying the arrests were justified while urging the United States to allow foreign experts to temporarily remain to train American workers in advanced industries.
Homeland Security Investigations said 475 people — mostly South Korean nationals — were arrested at the site, which Hyundai says it owns but where workers were employed by subcontractors. South Korea reached a deal with U.S. authorities to secure the release of hundreds of the detained migrants, and President Lee Jae Myung’s office announced plans to send a charter plane in the coming days to transport many of those held back to South Korea.
Trump said the United States needs access to experts who know how to build batteries and other advanced products so Americans can be trained to do the work themselves. "If you don’t have people in this country right now that know about batteries, maybe we should help them along…" he told reporters, adding that industries such as shipbuilding and computer manufacturing also require skilled trainers.
"We do have to work something out where we bring in experts so that our people can be trained so that they can do it themselves," Trump said. He also posted on his social platform that foreign companies investing in the U.S. should respect immigration laws and that his administration would make it "quickly and legally possible" to bring in skilled workers if companies commit to hiring and training American workers.
Homeland Security Investigations chief Steven Schrank said some of those arrested had crossed the border illegally, while others had overstayed visas or entered under waivers that barred them from employment. Many of the arrested workers were employed by subcontractors at the construction site, Schrank said.
Hyundai, while confirming it owns the site, said none of the detained workers were directly employed by the company. The automaker did not immediately provide additional comment about the arrests.
The Georgia operation, carried out Sept. 5, 2025, represents one of the largest workplace enforcement actions of Trump’s presidency and is part of an intensified federal crackdown on illegal immigration. The sweep drew immediate attention from both domestic political actors and the South Korean government, which expressed "concern and regret" over the detentions even as it negotiated the release and repatriation of many nationals.
Trump framed the action as consistent with enforcing immigration laws while also seeking to address a domestic skills gap in emerging sectors. He emphasized that the United States should welcome foreign investment and be willing to facilitate the temporary legal entry of technical experts, provided companies hire and train American workers in return.
South Korean officials said their deal with U.S. authorities would allow many of the detained workers to return home, and President Lee’s office said the charter flight would depart within days to repatriate those nationals detained during the enforcement action. South Korea’s intervention followed several days of diplomatic engagement after news of the mass detentions.
Administration officials have been tightening workplace enforcement as part of broader immigration policy priorities. The Georgia raid and Trump’s comments highlighted ongoing tensions between strict enforcement of immigration rules and the need for specialized labor in advanced manufacturing sectors, where the domestic workforce may lack experience.
Homeland Security and ICE officials have said similar workplace operations are intended to deter illegal hiring practices and to ensure compliance with U.S. immigration and labor laws. Advocates for tighter immigration enforcement have cited the Hyundai arrests as an example of necessary action, while critics have raised concerns about the humanitarian and diplomatic implications of mass workplace detentions.
The company and federal authorities provided limited public detail about the precise employment arrangements at the site, and investigations by federal agencies into subcontractor practices and labor compliance were ongoing. Trump’s public remarks signaled a potential policy approach that pairs enforcement with streamlined legal pathways for temporary technical workers, contingent on commitments to training American employees.
The episodes underscored the complex intersection of immigration enforcement, global investment in U.S. manufacturing, and workforce development as the country seeks to scale up production in strategic industries such as electric vehicle batteries. Federal authorities said their priority was enforcing existing law while ensuring that U.S. workers receive training and employment opportunities created by new industrial projects.