After Hyundai raid, Trump presses foreign companies to hire US workers
President Donald Trump on Sunday called on foreign companies investing in the United States to prioritise hiring and training American workers. This comes days after a major immigration raid at a Hyundai car battery facility in Georgia, which led to hundreds of arrests.
New Delhi: President Donald Trump on Sunday called on foreign companies investing in the United States to prioritise hiring and training American workers. This comes days after a major immigration raid at a Hyundai car battery facility in Georgia, which led to hundreds of arrests.
The raid, carried out on September 4 by US federal agents at Hyundai's plant in Ellabel, Georgia that resulted in the detention of around 475 workers, including nearly 300 South Korean nationals. The operation involved armoured vehicles and footage of detained workers in shackles that has drawn sharp responses from both the US and South Korea.
Trump says raid won't strain ties with Seoul
"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 wrote on social media platform, Truth Social. "Your investments are welcome, and we encourage you to legally bring your very smart people, with great technical talent, to build world-class products. What we ask in return is that you hire and train American workers.”
He also said that he would examine the circumstances of the raid, but also said that it would not damage US relations with South Korea. The US President also suggested that limited provisions could be made for foreign experts to enter the country legally to help train American employees in specalised manufacturing sectors.
South Korea expresses 'regret'
The South Korean government, meanwhile, expressed regret over the detentions and the manner in which the raid was conducted. Seoul is working to secure the release and repatriation of the nearly 300 nationals arrested during the operation. "We are deeply concerned and feel a heavy sense of responsibility over the arrests of our nationals,” South Korea’s Foreign Ministry Cho Hyun said as was quoted by South Korea’s Yonhap News.
He also said "We will discuss sending a senior Foreign Ministry official to the site without delay, and, if necessary, I will personally travel to Washington to hold consultations with the US administration.”
Hyundai issues statement
In a joint statement following the raid, Hyundai and LG Energy confirmed that they are "fully cooperating with the relevant authorities regarding activities at our construction site” and added that construction has been temporarily paused to facilitate the investigation. Hyundai also clarified that, according to their current information, none of the individuals detained are directly employed by Hyundai Motor Company.