After Hyundai raid, Trump calls for U.S. jobs from foreign firms

Anabelle Colaco
10 Sep 2025, 01:10 GMT+10

President Donald Trump said foreign companies investing in the United States must prioritize hiring and training American workers, comments that came days after a large immigration raid at Hyundai’s car battery plant in Georgia
U.S. federal agents arrested about 475 workers at the facility in Ellabell last week, including some 300 South Koreans who Seoul is now working to bring home
The raid has drawn international attention, notably after footage showed armored vehicles and workers being shackled and taken away

WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump said foreign companies investing in the United States must prioritize hiring and training American workers, comments that came days after a large immigration raid at Hyundai's car battery plant in Georgia.

U.S. federal agents arrested about 475 workers at the facility in Ellabell last week, including some 300 South Koreans who Seoul is now working to bring home. The raid has drawn international attention, notably after footage showed armored vehicles and workers being shackled and taken away.

"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," Trump posted on Truth Social.

He added, "Your Investments are welcome, and we encourage you to LEGALLY bring your very smart people, with great technical talent, to build World-Class products. 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."

Speaking to reporters earlier, Trump said the incident had not damaged his relationship with South Korea. He also suggested he was open to temporarily allowing some foreign specialists into the country, so long as they helped train U.S. workers.

The South Korean government has expressed regret over the arrests and the release of video footage showing the operation, which it said was unnecessarily heavy-handed.

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