After a shocking immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia left hundreds of South Korean workers deported, President Donald Trump now says he never supported the move and wants them back in the United States.
The raid, carried out in September by ICE at a still-under-construction electric vehicle factory, sparked international backlash and fears about the future of South Korean investment in the U.S. Hyundai’s CEO, José Muñoz, had already expressed hopes for a resolution that would allow the skilled workers to return, saying their expertise was essential to finishing the project.
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Speaking aboard Air Force One on Monday, Trump said he was “very much opposed” to the raid and insisted the workers would be allowed to return. “In fact, before they got out… I said they could stay… and they’re going to be coming back,” he told reporters. “When they come in, they’re making very complex machinery, equipment, things. They’re going to have to bring some people in, at least at that initial phase.”
Trump made his remarks as he headed to Asia for a summit with world leaders, including South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who has been outspoken about the raid’s fallout. Lee has warned that the incident could damage trust between the two countries and delay major construction projects.
“This has also caused severe trauma for the workers as well, and I have heard that some workers do not want to go back,” Lee told Bloomberg on Friday. “Without taking measures to ensure the safety and rational treatment of these workers, there is a high possibility that factory construction in the US may be significantly postponed.”
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Still, Lee said he expects both nations to reach a deal “in the not-too-distant future.” The deported workers weren’t directly employed by Hyundai, but rather by its contractors and LG Energy Solutions, Hyundai’s South Korean partner on the EV battery plant.
Muñoz said that while the workers technically lacked the correct visas, their expertise was vital and highlighted a gap in U.S. immigration law that makes it difficult to bring in highly specialized foreign labor for short-term industrial projects.
“What I’ve learned in the past couple of days and weeks is that activities in this particular battery factory require a very specific expertise that is not in the country,” Muñoz told CNN during a media roundtable in September. “I believe there needs to be a visa which is especially designed for these types of people that may need to enter the country five or six, or six, seven times. Once the factory is finished, they don’t come back again.”
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He also said both governments are working to make sure something like this “doesn’t happen again.” The raid drew outrage in South Korea, where media coverage portrayed the U.S. action as heavy-handed and humiliating for the deported workers.
At an event in New York last month, Muñoz publicly apologized to those affected, saying he regretted how the arrests and deportations were handled.
Hyundai did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly’s request for comment on Trump’s latest remarks, but the company has remained vocal about the importance of foreign worker expertise to its massive Georgia project — a plant seen as a key step in expanding electric vehicle production in the U.S.