President Donald Trump on Sunday defended a large-scale U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation that led to the arrest of hundreds of foreign nationals at a Hyundai battery plant construction site in Georgia, while saying the United States should consider allowing foreign experts to enter temporarily to train American workers in advanced industries.
Homeland Security Investigations said 475 people, mostly South Korean nationals, were arrested Sept. 5 at the under-construction battery facility after agents found many working in violation of immigration rules. South Korea’s government reached a deal with U.S. authorities over the weekend to secure the release of hundreds of the detained workers, and President Lee Jae Myung announced plans to send a charter plane to repatriate those from his country in the coming days.
When reporters asked about the operation, Trump said ICE was right to arrest people in the country illegally but that the United States should also consider allowing foreign specialists to remain temporarily so they can teach Americans how to build advanced products such as batteries. "If you don’t have people in this country right now that know about batteries, maybe we should help them along," he said, adding that industries including shipbuilding and computer manufacturing also need skilled trainers.
Trump later posted on Truth Social urging foreign companies investing in the United States to obey immigration laws while pledging to make it "quickly and legally possible" for them to bring skilled employees for training purposes. "What we ask in return is that you hire and train American workers," he wrote.
Homeland Security Investigations said the detained workers included people who had crossed the border illegally, those who overstayed visas and some who entered under waivers that barred employment. Many were employed by subcontractors working on the site; Hyundai Motor Group said it owns the site but that none of the workers were directly employed by the company.
South Korea’s government said it was "concerned and regretful" about the raid while moving to secure the release and return of its nationals. Homeland Security Investigations chief Steven Schrank characterized the operation as an enforcement action addressing a mix of immigration violations.
The Georgia enforcement action is among the largest workplace immigration operations carried out during Trump’s presidency and comes amid a broader crackdown on illegal immigration that has included stepped-up workplace inspections and deportation efforts. The battery facility is part of a multibillion-dollar electric vehicle and battery project that U.S. officials have highlighted as a generator of new American jobs.
Hyundai and U.S. officials have said the complex project involves multiple contractors and a range of skilled tasks. U.S. officials did not immediately specify whether any new temporary-authority program would be proposed to allow foreign experts short-term entry for training, and no legislative changes were announced Sunday.
The detained workers’ immediate future is tied to the arrangements between U.S. and South Korean authorities. South Korea’s plan to send a charter flight was expected to move forward in the coming days, and U.S. officials said the review and processing of detainees was ongoing.
The enforcement action and Trump’s comments underline tensions that can arise when immigration enforcement intersects with economic and industrial policy. Trump framed his stance as a combination of strict immigration enforcement and pragmatic workforce development, saying the country must both uphold the law and ensure Americans are trained for jobs in advanced manufacturing.
Officials on both sides said they would continue to coordinate on consular access and repatriation logistics while investigations into the circumstances of the arrests proceed.