Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s border czar, said Sunday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement will conduct more workplace immigration enforcement operations like a recent raid at a Hyundai‑operated electric battery plant in Georgia that led to nearly 500 arrests.
Homan told CNN’s Jake Tapper that the administration would continue worksite enforcement, saying the operations were aimed both at deterring illegal entry and at companies that knowingly hire undocumented workers. “The short answer is yes,” Homan said. “We‘re going to do more worksite enforcement operations because number one, it‘s a crime to enter this country illegally. Number two, it‘s a crime to knowingly hire an illegal alien, and these companies that hire illegal aliens, they undercut the competition that's paying U.S. citizen salaries.”
Federal authorities said Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested nearly 500 people during the Thursday operation at the electric battery plant in Bryan County, Georgia, which is run by Hyundai and LG Energy Solutions. U.S. officials and media reports said most of those arrested were South Korean nationals who were in the United States without authorization, including people who entered the country illicitly, overstayed visas or violated visa waivers by working.
Hyundai said none of the arrested workers were directly employed by the automaker. The South Korean government confirmed it had reached an agreement with U.S. authorities to secure the release of hundreds of the detained workers and that a charter flight would bring many of them back to South Korea in the coming days, according to the office of President Lee Jae Myung.
Homan has framed the administration’s worksite enforcement as part of a broader push to secure the U.S. border and reduce illegal immigration. He said the raids also targeted employers who, he asserted, “hire them because they work them harder, pay them less, and undercut the competition.” Homan recounted an instance in which a father‑and‑son contractor laid off 20 U.S. citizen employees after being undercut by competitors who paid undocumented workers less, saying that experience reinforced his view of the economic impact of illegal immigration.
The Trump administration has made immigration enforcement a central priority, signaling an intent to curtail unauthorized migration and remove undocumented residents. Federal data cited by administration officials and media outlets show that more than 300,000 removals have occurred under the current administration, and reporting in The New York Times indicated deportation rates have exceeded 1,500 people per day at times — a pace officials said rivals removal levels seen during the Obama administration.
Homan said Sunday that the administration’s workplace operations have contributed to what he called the most secure border in U.S. history, a claim he and other officials have used to justify stepped‑up enforcement. He reiterated that knowingly hiring undocumented workers is unlawful and argued that employers who do so create unfair competition for companies that follow immigration and labor laws.
The Georgia raid prompted a diplomatic response from Seoul, which moved to repatriate detained nationals. U.S. and South Korean officials coordinated on the case after the arrests, according to statements from the South Korean presidential office.
Hyundai and LG Energy Solutions have faced scrutiny over labor practices at the plant; company statements emphasized that detained individuals were not on their direct payroll and pledged cooperation with law enforcement. U.S. immigration and labor authorities have not released full details on employer‑employee relationships for the detained individuals pending ongoing investigations.
Homan’s comments come as the administration signals its intent to continue a combination of border operations, workplace enforcement and expedited removals. Administration officials have said those steps are necessary to deter unlawful migration and to protect U.S. workers, while immigrant advocacy groups and some labor advocates have criticized large‑scale raids for disrupting families and workplaces and for relying on enforcement rather than legislative reform.
Federal agencies have not outlined a publicly disclosed nationwide timetable for future worksite raids similar to the Hyundai operation. Homan’s pledge indicates enforcement will remain a visible element of the administration’s immigration strategy as investigations into hiring practices and the legal status of detained workers continue and as diplomatic arrangements proceed to repatriate some detainees to South Korea.