Trump administration in damage-control mode after Hyundai immigration raid sparks investment concerns

Amid backlash and concerns over how the raid could disrupt efforts to bring manufacturing back to the U.S., President Donald Trump said foreign workers are “welcome” in the country.

The White House on Monday moved to limit the fallout of an immigration raid at a South Korean-owned battery plant in Georgia on Sept.4 — a move that angered the U.S. ally and sparked concerns regarding foreign investment in the U.S.

The Georgia facility, operated by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution, saw 475 of its workers arrested on allegations that they were in the U.S. illegally, or without the proper work permits, with hundreds of detained South Koreans sent home Thursday.

The raid was part of a broader deportation drive by the Trump administration, which the White House has described as central to fulfilling U.S. President Donald Trump’s election campaign promises. Stephen Miller, the White House’s deputy chief of staff and homeland security adviser, has pushed for 3,000 arrests a day.

Amid backlash and concerns over how the raid could disrupt efforts to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. — a move called reshoring or onshoring — Trump, in a post on Truth Social Monday, stressed that foreign workers are “welcome” in the country.

Trump said that he wants foreign companies building complex products, machines, and various other “things” to bring skilled employees to train the domestic workforce, though he emphasized that these foreign workers are expected to return home eventually.