Trump slams 'stupid' ICE raid after Hyundai factory raid led to hundreds of skilled workers deported
Speaking at the US-Saudi Investment Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Trump gave a rare rebuke of the actions of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents
Trump has slammed the agents behind the operation that led 300 South Korean workers to be detained and deported as "stupid."
This comes as some of those deported following the raid at Hyundai's electric vehicle plant in Georgia have returned to the US to get back to work. The raid was just one by-product of Trump's immigration crackdown, which is growing across the country.
The September crackdown brought construction to a halt at the battery facility being built at the massive site near Savannah, where Hyundai Motor Group launched EV production last year. The majority of the 475 detained workers were South Korean citizens who U.S. immigration authorities said had overstayed their visas or were working on visa waivers that didn't permit employment.
Speaking at the US Saudi Investment Forum, Trump said: "We had one case in Georgia where a battery factory. Batteries are very dangerous to make. They're complex, much more complex than people understand. And they brought in, they spent a billion dollars to build a factory. And they were told to get out.
"And I said, 'Stop it. Don't be stupid.' And we worked it out. And now they're teaching our people how to do it."
Can't see the video of Trump calling the raid stupid? Click here.
He added: "I don't think you can open up a big plant with your friend from Taiwan, where we're going to have 40 or 50% of the computer chip business and I don't think you can do that with people that don't even know what a chip looks like. Do you agree with that? So somehow, you know, the people that are against this are really, really smart. They're unbelievable patriots, but they just don't understand."
HL-GA Battery Co., which operates the battery plant, announced Thursday that construction has restarted with both fresh hires and returning employees. The firm expressed gratitude to American and South Korean governments, along with Georgia officials, "for their collaboration in supporting a smooth and timely return.
"We remain on track to start production in the first half of next year and continue to actively hire local positions to operate the facility," the battery company's statement said.
Company spokesperson Mary Beth Kennedy said that some returning workers were indeed among those South Korean nationals detained back in September, though she couldn't specify exact numbers.
After spending a week in a Georgia detention center following the September raid, the South Korean government negotiated their release and flew them back home.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's roundup, which included video footage of some of the detained workers shackled in chains, sparked outrage and feelings of betrayal in South Korea. This is particularly significant given that South Korea is a key U.S. ally that has pledged hundreds of billions of dollars in American investments.
The Georgia raid targeted one of the state's largest and most high-profile manufacturing sites, where Hyundai produces electric vehicles at a $7.6 billion plant. All 475 people detained worked at the battery plant, operated by HL-GA Battery, a joint venture by Hyundai and LG Energy Solution, which will produce batteries to power Hyundai EVs.
The South Korean nationals detained in Georgia were primarily engineers and other highly skilled workers who came to the U.S. temporarily to install equipment and perform other specialized work to get the battery plant up and running.
It remains unclear how many of the formerly detained workers will return.
U.S. President Donald Trump initially defended the immigration raid in Georgia, stating in September that the detained workers "were here illegally, " However, when asked about those workers again during an October visit to Seoul, Trump said: "I was opposed to getting them out."
