❓WHAT HAPPENED: Trump administration officials will deport 300 South Korean migrants who were working illegally at a taxpayer-funded construction site in Georgia.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), South Korean workers, Hyundai Motor Group, LG Energy Solution Ltd., and Border Czar Tom Homan.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The arrests occurred at a construction site in Ellabell, Georgia, where a factory funded by over $1 billion in government aid is being built.
💬KEY QUOTE: “These companies that hire illegal aliens, they undercut the competition of paying U.S. citizen salaries,” said Tom Homan.
🎯IMPACT: The deportations are expected to delay Hyundai’s construction project and highlight the ongoing issue of illegal labor undercutting American wages.
The Trump administration will move to deport an estimated 300 South Korean illegal immigrants found to be working illegally at a Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution Ltd. factory construction site in Ellabell, Georgia. The arrests, which took place on Thursday, saw over 500 people detained, including 23 Mexicans in addition to the South Koreans. According to the Trump administration, those detained at the facility—which received $1 billion in U.S. taxpayer funding—either lacked proper immigrant work visas, had expired work visas, or were working despite only holding non-work visas.
The Hyundai immigration raid and arrests sparked a diplomatic row with South Korea’s government, and pushback from pro-illegal immigrant labor advocates like the CATO Institute, who argue it is economically desirable to replace American workers with cheap foreign labor. Trump White House Border Czar Tom Homan emphasized the economic impact of such hiring practices, stating, “These companies that hire illegal aliens, they undercut the competition of paying U.S. citizen salaries.”
Homan also shared his personal experience, saying, “I had to call five different companies before I had a company that guaranteed me a legal workforce. I talked to one company, just a father and son, who laid off 20 citizen employees because they couldn’t afford—they couldn’t win a bid, because the competition were bidding a lot less for a job because they were paying their employees a lot less to work because they’re illegally in the United States.”
The South Korean workers reportedly entered the U.S. using B-1/B-2 tourist/business visas or Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) waivers. Hyundai, a repeat violator of labor rules, is expected to face delays and increased costs as it replaces the deported workers with American labor. The arrests are part of broader efforts by the Trump administration to enforce immigration laws and prioritize high-skill, high-productivity sectors in the U.S. economy.
Hyundai has faced scrutiny before for labor violations, including the use of child labor in Alabama factories. Corporate executives often shield themselves from accountability by outsourcing hiring to third-party staffing agencies. Despite pushback from pro-illegal immigrant labor advocates, the Trump administration has emphasized the importance of enforcing laws to protect American workers and wages.
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