In a surprising intervention, former U.S. President Donald Trump offered to allow hundreds of South Korean workers detained in a recent immigration raid to remain in the United States and help train American employees. But despite the high-profile gesture, only one worker has agreed to stay, according to South Korean officials. The episode has triggered diplomatic ripples between Washington and Seoul, while also raising concerns among business leaders about the investment climate for South Korean firms in the United States.
A High-Stakes Raid
The controversy stems from an immigration enforcement action carried out last week at the construction site of a $4.3 billion Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution electric vehicle battery plant in Georgia. The project, one of the most ambitious South Korean-led investments in the United States, is central to the Biden administration’s push to expand domestic electric vehicle manufacturing capacity.
Authorities detained nearly 300 South Korean nationals and 175 other workers on allegations of visa violations and unauthorized employment. The raid shocked both the South Korean government and company executives, who had seen the venture as a symbol of growing U.S.-Korea industrial cooperation.
Trump Steps In
The situation took a dramatic turn when Trump, who remains a towering figure in American politics, intervened directly. According to South Korean officials, the former president instructed U.S. immigration and labor officials to “encourage” the detained workers to stay in the country, arguing that their skills were vital for training U.S. staff in the specialized technologies required for building electric vehicle batteries.
Trump’s move temporarily delayed a chartered flight scheduled to repatriate the South Korean workers earlier in the week. The plane was rescheduled for Thursday, but not before his proposal was carefully considered in Seoul.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung confirmed that repatriation was paused briefly to weigh the implications of the offer. “We needed to evaluate the conditions under which these workers were being asked to stay,” he told reporters. Ultimately, however, only one worker chose to remain in the United States under the arrangement.
Seoul Pushes Back
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, who met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington during the height of the controversy, made clear that Seoul’s preference was for the workers to return home. “They can recover and then return if they wish,” a foreign ministry official explained, emphasizing the importance of due process and worker welfare.
The White House, the Department of State, and the Department of Homeland Security all declined to comment on the incident, underscoring its sensitive nature.
Unusual Deportation Measures
Adding another twist, Yonhap news agency reported that the detained South Korean workers would not be handcuffed during their transfer from detention centers to the airport. This was seen as an unusual measure, since U.S. immigration authorities often restrain deportees during transport. For many observers, it reflected the extraordinary diplomatic pressure surrounding the case.
Repercussions in Seoul
The raid and its aftermath have sparked unease in South Korea, where the workers’ detention was front-page news. Business leaders expressed alarm at what they see as overly rigid U.S. visa and immigration rules that fail to accommodate the unique needs of high-tech manufacturing projects.
South Korea’s business community has long argued that sending skilled experts abroad at short notice is essential for projects like Hyundai and LG’s battery plant, which involve advanced engineering and rapid construction schedules. Executives worry that the U.S. system, by restricting visas for technical staff, makes it increasingly difficult to manage multi-billion-dollar ventures on American soil.
“These raids create fear and uncertainty for companies who are investing billions of dollars in the U.S. economy,” one industry leader told local media. “If specialists cannot travel freely to oversee projects, the entire supply chain is at risk.”
Broader Context
The controversy comes at a delicate moment in U.S.-South Korea relations. The two nations are close security allies, but their economic partnership has at times been tested by trade disputes, tariffs, and disagreements over labor standards.
The Hyundai-LG battery plant is not just a corporate venture; it is also a geopolitical symbol. For Washington, it represents progress toward reducing reliance on Chinese supply chains and building a domestic green energy sector. For Seoul, it underscores South Korea’s role as a trusted industrial partner in the global transition to clean energy.
Immigration crackdowns at such a high-profile site therefore send mixed signals. While the U.S. government has encouraged foreign investment in electric vehicles, strict enforcement of immigration rules risks undermining the very projects meant to deliver results.
Trump’s Calculations
Trump’s personal involvement has added political intrigue. Analysts suggest his offer to allow South Korean workers to remain in the U.S. was consistent with his long-standing emphasis on protecting American jobs while simultaneously recognizing the urgent need for skilled expertise. By positioning the workers as trainers rather than competitors, Trump may have sought to balance nationalist rhetoric with practical industry demands.
Still, critics argue that his intervention was ad hoc and disruptive. Without a clear framework, South Korean officials questioned whether keeping workers under Trump’s proposal would expose them to legal or labor vulnerabilities.
Human Dimension
For the workers themselves, the ordeal has been deeply unsettling. Many had relocated to Georgia on short-term contracts to support the battery plant’s construction. Suddenly finding themselves in immigration detention, facing possible deportation, and then being asked to remain under unusual circumstances left them caught between conflicting political and diplomatic forces.
Some labor rights advocates in both countries say the episode highlights the precarious position of foreign workers in large-scale projects. While they are indispensable to global supply chains, they are also vulnerable to abrupt changes in immigration policy and enforcement.
Looking Ahead
For now, the majority of detained South Korean workers have returned home, with only one choosing to remain under Trump’s offer. Yet the incident has left lingering questions about how the U.S. will balance its need for foreign expertise with strict immigration enforcement.
In Seoul, government officials have pledged to review visa arrangements for Korean nationals working abroad, while urging Washington to provide clearer pathways for temporary skilled labor in strategic industries.
As for the Georgia project, Hyundai and LG are pressing ahead, but business analysts warn that investor confidence could waver if immigration-related disruptions continue. The companies are expected to push for more predictable labor and visa arrangements in future negotiations with U.S. officials.
Conclusion
What began as an immigration raid in Georgia has evolved into a diplomatic flashpoint, highlighting the challenges of managing global labor flows in an era of political uncertainty. Trump’s intervention, though dramatic, produced little practical change—save for one worker who chose to stay.
But the episode underscores a deeper issue: the need for coherent policies that align economic ambitions with immigration realities. For both Washington and Seoul, the Georgia raid serves as a cautionary tale of how quickly strategic partnerships can be tested when the human dimension of globalization is overlooked.
