by WorldTribune Staff, September 8, 2025 Real World News
President Donald Trump on Monday reminded nations which invest on American soil the importance of following U.S. laws.
In the aftermath of last week’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on a Hyundai facility near Savannah, Georgia, Trump made no direct response to the outrage the action generated in South Korea.
However, he clarified his position in a post on Sept. 8 on Truth Social:
“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. Your Investments are welcome, and we encourage you to LEGALLY bring your very smart people, with great technical talent, to build World Class products, and 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. Together, we will all work hard to make our Nation not only productive, but closer in unity than ever before. Thank you for your attention to this matter! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”.
Trump wants foreign firms to have access to the U.S. market and streamlined legal pathways for skilled talent, but only if they commit to building up the domestic workforce. During his presidency, Trump has secured billions in commitments from Hyundai, including a $5.8 billion steel mill in Louisiana that promises over 1,400 jobs for Americans, part of a broader $5 trillion haul in private investments aimed at revitalizing manufacturing.
ICE detained nearly 500 workers suspected of being in the country illegally or in violation of their visa terms. Some 300 of those detained were South Koreans. The operation, involving around 400 federal agents, brought construction to a halt at the site meant for an electric vehicle battery plant—a project celebrated by the Biden Administration.
Homeland Security Investigations chief Steven Schrank said some workers had crossed the border illegally, while others overstayed visas or entered under waivers that barred them from working. Many were employed by subcontractors at the site.
South Korea’s leftist President Lee Jae-Myung’s office, which expressed “concern and regret” over the raid, said South Korea would send a charter plane to bring the workers back to South Korea.
Related: President Trump’s early morning post delivered political shockwaves in Seoul, August 25, 2025
Lee’s backers may have thought he had successfully managed Trump’s early morning Truth Social shot before their meeting on Aug. 25. Since the meeting, South Korea’s legacy media coverage of the U.S. president has closely aligned with that of the Democrat legacy media in the U.S.
Late last week, the raid in Georgia delivered a shock to an unpopular but powerful regime and South Korea’s legacy media.
Immigration officials referred to the Georgia raid as “the largest single site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations.” Video footage showed federal agents lining up workers outside the facility, with some being shackled. Many were transported to a detention center in Folkston, Georgia, according to the New York Post.
On Sunday, border czar Tom Homan told CNN that the Trump Administration plans to carry out “a lot more” workplace operations.
“Look, no one hires an illegal alien out of the goodness of their heart. They hire them because they work them harder, pay them less and undercut the competition that hires U.S. citizen employees,” Homan said.
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