Trump on Hyundai-LG ICE raid: “They were illegal aliens. ICE did their job.”

President Trump, when asked during an executive order signing ceremony at the White House, said, “They were illegal immigrants, and ICE did their job,” in response to questions about the large-scale immigration raid.

Regarding the fact that Hyundai Motor Group, the target of the raid, had recently announced a large-scale investment plan in the U.S., he said, “They have the right to sell cars and goods in our country. As you know, this is not a one-sided deal.” He dismissed criticism that it was unfair to carry out a massive immigration raid on a company making such large investments, arguing that investment decisions by foreign firms are not beneficial only to the U.S.

On concerns that his immigration crackdown and his push for manufacturing revitalization may be in conflict, Trump stated: “We want to get along with other countries and we want good, stable labor. But the U.S. has a lot of illegal immigrants, and many of them are working there. So we (the authorities) must do our job.”

According to the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), 475 people were arrested at Hyundai and LG Energy Solution’s Georgia plant. HSI said: “The 475 arrested were either in the U.S. illegally or had violated their visa status to work unlawfully. Some had crossed the border illegally, and some had entered under the Visa Waiver Program, which prohibits employment.”

Of the 475 arrested, about 300 were reportedly Korean workers, who were transferred to detention facilities for investigation. Authorities said this was “the largest single-site operation in HSI’s history conducted nationwide.”

Since taking office, President Trump has made “cracking down on illegal immigration” a core policy pledge and has carried out large-scale raids. However, experts note that it is unusual for U.S. authorities to conduct such a massive immigration raid on a company making major domestic investments.

In March, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun directly announced plans at the White House, in the presence of Trump, to invest $26 billion (₩36.1 trillion) over the next four years. Last month, President Lee Jae-myung of South Korea also reaffirmed the large-scale investment plan during his summit with President Trump.

Companies investing in the U.S. are now facing emergencies. One corporate official said: “The U.S. has been pressuring companies to speed up investments, but at the same time, they are not issuing enough visas for the key personnel needed to design and operate the plants. It is difficult to bring in the skilled workers necessary to run factories, and now with this large-scale raid, companies are facing a dilemma where they must keep investing but can’t secure the manpower to actually operate the facilities.”