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Saturday, September 20, 2025

Tag: Donald Trump
September 9, 2025
War
World

Trump White House Blasts ‘Unilateral’ Israeli Strike on Qatar as Strain Grows with Netanyahu.

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: The White House issued a rebuke of Israel’s strike in Doha, Qatar, and assured Qatari leadership it would not happen again.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Trump White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Qatari leadership.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: Tuesday, September 9, 2025, in Washington, D.C. and in Doha, Qatar.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States, that is working very hard, and bravely taking risks with us to broker peace does not advance Israel or America’s goals.” – Karoline Leavitt

🎯IMPACT: The incident has escalated tensions between President Donald J. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

IN FULL

The Trump White House issued a stern warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following an Israeli bombing on Tuesday morning that targeted Hamas leadership in Doha, Qatar. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald J. Trump has reassured Qatar that such actions will not be repeated.

“Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States, that is working very hard, and bravely taking risks with us to broker peace, does not advance Israel or America’s goals,” Leavitt said during the White House press briefing Tuesday afternoon. She added: “The President views Qatar as a strong ally and friend of the United States, and feels very badly about the location of this attack.”


The White House comments appear to imply that Israel acted unilaterally in its strike on the Qatari capital. Notably, the rebuke comes amid already heightened tensions between Trump and Netanyahu. Trump has increasingly pushed the Israeli leader to conclude military operations against Hamas in Gaza as the conflict has dragged on for nearly two years, with Israeli operations previously expanding into Lebanon, Syria, and Iran.

Early Tuesday morning, explosions rocked the Katara District of Doha, the capital of Qatar. According to Israeli officials, the blasts formed part of an assassination plot aimed at high-ranking Hamas members residing in the wealthy Gulf state. The Qatari Foreign Ministry has responded to the attack, calling it a “criminal assault” and “blatant violation of all international laws and norms [that] poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar.”

It remains unclear whether the strike was actually successful in eliminating any of its intended targets, though some initial reports suggest Hamas leaders were able to evade the attack.

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September 9, 2025
Election Integrity
Lawfare

Judge Drops Charges Against Trump Electors in Michigan.

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: A Michigan judge dismissed charges against 15 people accused of signing a document saying President Donald J. Trump won the state in the 2020 election, citing a lack of evidence to prove criminal intent.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D), District Court Judge Kristen Simmons, and 15 defendants including Kathy Berden and Meshawn Maddock.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: The ruling was issued on Tuesday in a Michigan court.

💬KEY QUOTE: “This is a fraud case, and [you] have to prove intent. And I don’t believe that there’s evidence sufficient to prove intent.” – Judge Kristen Simmons

🎯IMPACT: The decision ends the prosecution’s case against the 15 accused.

IN FULL

Fifteen people accused of signing a document asserting President Donald J. Trump defeated former President Joe Biden in Michigan during the 2020 election will not face trial, following a state judge’s ruling that prosecutors failed to demonstrate criminal intent. The decision came Tuesday from Michigan District Court Judge Kristen Simmons, who stated, “This is a fraud case, and [you] have to prove intent. And I don’t believe that there’s evidence sufficient to prove intent.”

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) had charged the group with eight felony counts, including forgery, alleging that they knowingly submitted a signed document claiming Trump had won. Among the defendants were Republican National Committee (RNC) member Kathy Berden and former Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman Meshawn Maddock. Nessel expressed her dissatisfaction with the ruling, saying, “The evidence was clear. They lied. They knew they lied, and they tried to steal the votes of millions of Michiganders.”

The charges stemmed from a 2020 meeting at the Michigan Republican Party headquarters, where the defendants signed the document before it was submitted to the National Archives and the United States Senate ahead of the presidential election certification. Prosecutors argued that the group intended to deceive officials by making the document appear to be an official state government form. However, Judge Simmons concluded that the evidence did not support that claim. She noted that the document lacked the governor’s signature or a fraudulent seal, indicating it was not presented as an official document.

Judge Simmons emphasized that the defendants appeared to genuinely believe they were fulfilling their constitutional duties amid concerns about alleged election irregularities. “Right, wrong, or indifferent, it was these individuals and many other individuals in the state of Michigan who sincerely believe, for some reason, that there were some serious irregularities with the election,” she said.

The ruling effectively ends the case against the 15 accused.

Image by Katrin Bolovtsova.

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September 9, 2025
William Upton
Economy

Biden Added Nearly One Million Fewer Jobs in Final Year than Previously Reported.

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. economy added nearly one million fewer jobs than previously reported in the final year of the Biden government, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s (BLS) annual benchmark revision for April 2024 to March 2025.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The BLS, former President Joe Biden, President Donald J. Trump, and the Federal Reserve.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The annual revision was released by the BLS on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

🎯IMPACT: The revisions suggest the American economy has been contracting since early last year—possibly even entering a recession beginning in the final year of Biden’s presidential term.

IN FULL

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Tuesday released its annual benchmark jobs report revision, revising downward the total number of jobs created between April 2024 and March 2025 by a shocking 911,000. This revision, accounting mostly for the final year of the former Biden government, means the monthly job growth number for much of 2024 stood at only 71,000 per month, instead of the initially reported average of 147,000 per month.

Notably, the benchmark revision indicates the labor market was significantly weakening well before President Donald J. Trump imposed significant global tariffs, and  fuels concerns that the Federal Reserve has based its interest rate policy on faulty economic data for well over a year. In addition, the latest BLS data follows its prior revision from April 2023 to March 2024, which saw 818,000 fewer jobs created than initially reported. The two annual revisions, when combined, show labor market growth in the final two years of the Biden government was overestimated by nearly two million jobs.

The new employment data, coming on the heels of last month’s jobs numbers showing that only 22,000 jobs were added to the economy in August, will only increase pressure on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. More troubling, however, is that the revisions suggest the American economy has been contracting since early last year—possibly even being in a recession beginning in the final year of Biden’s presidential term.

While annual revisions to the BLS jobs data are commonplace, significant back-to-back revisions are unusual and give credence to President Trump’s criticism of the agency’s accuracy and methodology when measuring the U.S. labor market. On August 1 of this year, Trump dismissed Dr. Erika McEntarfer as the bureau’s commissioner and questioned the BLS’s credibility following a series of month-to-month downward revisions.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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September 9, 2025
William Upton
Economy

Trump Ramps Up Pressure on Powell to Cut Rates Ahead of Pivotal Fed Meeting.

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump renewed pressure on the Federal Reserve to slash interest rates on Tuesday, citing experts criticizing the central bank’s handling of rates and calling for significant reforms.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, Jay Hatfield—CEO and Portfolio Manager of Infrastructure Capital Advisors, Greg Faranello—Executive Director of AmeriVet Securities, and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

đź’¬KEY QUOTE: “They don’t believe that money supply matters, it’s like the Pope not believing in Jesus.” – Jay Hatfield

🎯IMPACT: The criticism highlights growing concerns about the Federal Reserve’s approach to monetary policy and its potential consequences for the U.S. economy.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday morning with renewed criticism of the Federal Reserve and its chairman, Jerome Powell. The America First leader cited comments by Jay Hatfield, CEO and Portfolio Manager of Infrastructure Capital Advisors, and Gregory Faranello, Executive Director of AmeriVet Securities, who argue that the central bank’s incompetence—rather than its independence—is the paramount concern.

“If the Fed had followed what we published, they would have raised rates in early 2021. The entire Organization is broken. It needs to be fixed,” Trump, quoting Hatfield, wrote, continuing: “They need to use modern sources of information. We strongly disagree with Ken Griffin. We think Incompetence is more important than to defend theoretical independence. He (‘Too Late!’) has done a terrible job since he adapted a two target? It’s too low, it’s too rigid, they followed Data that’s years delayed.”

Again quoting Hatfield, President Trump wrote: “They don’t believe that money supply matters, it’s like the Pope not believing in Jesus.”

Following up on Hatfield’s call for significant structural and policy reform at the Federal Reserve, President Trump next pointed to Gregory Faranello’s prediction that the central bank will have to significantly slash interest rates over the next few months. Quoting Faranello, the Truth Social post reads: “Chair Powell was late to raise rates, they need to come down here, there’s no question about it. He’s dragging his feet. The Feds going to come down here 50, 75, Maybe 100.”

The National Pulse previously reported that Chairman Powell, during the Fed’s annual Jackson Hole conference in August, signalled the central bank would likely move to cut interest rates at the September meeting of its Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). While a 25 basis point (bps) cut appears to be the Wall Street consensus, jobs reports—which indicate a significant slowdown in the U.S. labor market—could push the central bank toward a 50bps cut. Some project rates could come down by as much as 100bps by year’s end or early next year.

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September 8, 2025
News
War

Kremlin Responds to Trump Sanctions Threat.

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: Russia has dismissed the impact of potential sanctions from the Trump administration, insisting that they will not change Russia’s course of action in Ukraine.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED:  The United States, the Trump administration, Russia, Ukraine, and Russian spokesman Dmitry Petrov.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: Peskov reacted to future tariff threats in Moscow on September 8.

💬KEY QUOTE:  “No sanctions will be able to force the Russian Federation to change the consistent position that our president has repeatedly spoken about,” Peskov said.

🎯IMPACT: The comments come as President Donald  J. Trump continues trying to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

IN FULL

Russia has dismissed the possibility that any level of Western sanctions will force it to alter its course in the war against Ukraine, following a renewed warning from U.S. President Donald Trump about a potential second wave of penalties.

“No sanctions will be able to force the Russian Federation to change the consistent position that our president has repeatedly spoken about,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday, disregarding Western outrage over a recent wave of deadly air strikes.

The remarks came just days after Russia launched its largest aerial assault of the war, firing at least 805 drones and 13 missiles at cities across Ukraine. The main government building in central Kiev was hit for the first time since the conflict began in 2022. Four people were reportedly killed in the strike, including a three-month-old baby.

Trump responded by warning that additional sanctions against Russia were on the table. Though he did not provide details on what the “second stage” of sanctions would include, he confirmed that discussions with European leaders are underway this week in Washington to coordinate further responses. Trump also indicated he plans to speak directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin “soon.”

At the same time, Trump has taken the unprecedented step of endorsing Ukrainian strikes inside Russian territory. In an August 21 post, the president said it was “very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invader’s country,” comparing Ukraine’s situation to a sports team that is forced to play only defense. The comments mark a significant departure from past U.S. policy, which has previously been more cautious about Ukrainian military actions beyond its borders.

Trump’s sanctions approach has also expanded beyond Russia, targeting nations that continue to buy Russian oil. Earlier this year, the U.S. doubled tariffs on India for its continued energy trade with Moscow. The move increased tariffs from 25 percent to 50 percent, with Trump accusing India of ignoring the human cost of the war in Ukraine. “They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine,” he said.

The Trump administration is reportedly considering similar economic penalties against other major buyers of Russian oil, including China, as part of a broader effort to choke off funding for the Kremlin’s war effort. Senior U.S. officials have hinted that secondary sanctions may be imposed on firms and countries that help Russia bypass restrictions on its energy exports.

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September 8, 2025
Politics

Is Thune Finally Standing Up to Dem Obstruction?

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) will move to alter Senate rules this week to allow President Donald J. Trump’s political appointees to be confirmed in large batches to circumvent unprecedented Democratic obstructionism.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans, President Donald Trump, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: The U.S. Senate, ongoing through the Trump administration, with procedural changes proposed this week.

đź’¬KEY QUOTE: “When the Senate convenes this week, I will begin the necessary procedural steps to reform the Senate’s rules. No party should be able to weaponize the confirmation process the way that Senate Democrats are doing now, in a way that has never been done before.” – John Thune

🎯IMPACT: Hundreds of vacancies remain in federal agencies, delaying the implementation of the administration’s agenda and consuming valuable Senate time. The rule change could help to quickly clear the backlog of nominees.

IN FULL

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) announced on Monday that he intends to amend the Senate rules to clear the backlog of President Donald J. Trump‘s political appointments and end Democratic Party obstructionism aimed at preventing the America First leader from executing his electoral mandate. According to Senator Thune, nominees to serve in the Trump administration will now be considered in large batches, instead of individually. The South Dakota Republican notes that, unlike under any prior President, Democrats have prevented simple voice votes and forced lengthy up-or-down votes on each individual Trump appointee.

“When the Senate convenes this week, I will begin the necessary procedural steps to reform the Senate’s rules. No party should be able to weaponize the confirmation process the way that Senate Democrats are doing now, in a way that has never been done before,” Thune wrote on Monday. He continued: “This total obstruction simply cannot be the standard moving forward—both in principle and in practicality. We must return to the Senate’s traditional confirmation process that existed before this unprecedented blockade.”

The Democratic Party’s obstructionism has forced the Senate, Leader Thune says, to have “taken more votes than any Senate has at this point in more than 35 years. We’ve taken more roll call votes in eight months than most Senates take in 12.” Notably, while Congress usually vacates Washington, D.C. in the summer, the Senate remained in session into August to continue appointee confirmations.

“We’ve also spent more hours in session through August than any Senate in more than 15 years. All that to be slightly behind pace of the last two administrations’ confirmation rates,” Thune notes.

Shockingly, the Senate Majority Leader revealed that if the upper legislative chamber does not move to confirm nominees in batches, the Democratic Party’s obstructionism would require “than 600 additional roll call votes to clear the nominees who are currently in the pipeline.” Additionally, Thune contends that without batch confirmations, there would likely be hundreds of vacancies for appointed positions by the time President Trump’s term of office ends.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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September 8, 2025
Politics
Religion

Trump Vows to Strengthen Prayer Rights in Public Schools.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump announced new measures to protect students’ rights to pray in public schools.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, students, and the Department of Education.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: Monday, at the Museum of the Bible.

đź’¬KEY QUOTE: “For most of our country’s history, the Bible was found in every classroom in the nation, yet in many schools, today’s students are instead indoctrinated with anti-religious propaganda and some are even punished for their religious beliefs.” – President Trump

🎯IMPACT: The announcement aims to bolster religious liberty in schools and address challenges faced by students practicing their faith.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump announced on Monday, during the second official hearing of the Religious Liberty Commission at the Museum of the Bible, that he intends to take action to ensure the right to prayer in public schools. The hearing focused on religious liberty and public education, with testimony from students who shared stories of their religious beliefs being undermined.

“For most of our country’s history, the Bible was found in every classroom in the nation, yet in many schools, today’s students are instead indoctrinated with anti-religious propaganda and some are even punished for their religious beliefs,” Trump said, highlighting the case of Hannah Allen, a young girl from Texas who was reprimanded for praying with classmates during lunch. “To support students like Hannah, I’m pleased to announce this morning that the Department of Education will soon issue new guidance protecting the right to prayer in our public schools.”

The specifics of the guidance remain unclear as of the time of publication, but the announcement aligns with a recent Supreme Court decision in favor of a high school football coach disciplined for leading voluntary prayers after games. Additionally, the Trump administration introduced an “America Prays” initiative, encouraging Americans to meet weekly in groups to pray for the nation.

President Trump also addressed a recent attack at a Catholic school in Minnesota by a transgender mass shooter, vowing to take action against political violence and hate crimes. “The Trump administration will have no tolerance for terrorism or political violence, and that includes hate crimes against Christians, Jews, or anybody else,” he said.

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September 8, 2025
Economy
Immigration

Trump Tells Foreign Firms to Employ and Upskill Americans After Hyundai Raid.

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump told companies operating in the U.S. to only use foreign labor to train American workers following the largest single-site immigration enforcement operation in Homeland Security history, which saw hundreds of South Korean illegal workers arrested at a Hyundai plant in Georgia.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Hyundai, South Korean nationals, and President Trump.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: The operation took place last Thursday at a Hyundai battery plant under construction near Savannah, Georgia. President Trump’s comments came late Sunday in a post on Truth Social.

💬KEY QUOTE: “What we ask in return is that you hire and train American Workers.” – Donald Trump

🎯IMPACT: President Trump floated a possible policy change where some high-skilled foreign labor would only be authorized in order to train American workers in the battery and computer manufacturing sectors.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump says foreign companies operating in the United States should only use foreign workers to train their American employees. The comments were made in a late Sunday night post on Truth Social, following last Thursday’s largest single-site enforcement operation in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) history, which detained hundreds of South Korean illegal immigrant workers at a Hyundai battery plant under construction near Savannah, Georgia.

“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,” Trump wrote, continuing: “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,” the America First leader added.

The operation resulted in the detention of 475 workers, most of whom were South Korean nationals. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials stated that some had entered the country illegally, while others had overstayed visas or violated visa waiver conditions that prohibited employment. None of the detained workers were charged with crimes, according to Steven Schrank, the lead Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent in Georgia.

South Korea’s government expressed concern over the detentions, with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun planning to travel to the U.S. to discuss the matter. On Sunday, South Korea announced that more than 300 detained workers would be released and repatriated via charter plane. Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff for President Lee Jae Myung, confirmed that negotiations with U.S. officials had been finalized.

The incident has raised tensions between Washington and Seoul, coming just months after South Korea committed $350 billion in U.S. investments as part of a broader economic agreement. Trump, speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday, suggested that the U.S. and South Korea could collaborate to allow their nationals to train American workers for roles in battery and computer manufacturing.

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September 8, 2025
News
Religion

Trump: ‘You Hear About Anti-Semitic, But You Don’t Hear About Anti-Christian.’

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump delivered a speech at the Museum of the Bible, emphasizing the role of faith in America and the growth of anti-Christian hatred.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, the White House Religious Liberty Commission, and the Museum of the Bible.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: September 8, 2025, at the Museum of the Bible.

đź’¬KEY QUOTE: “I created the first-ever Department of Justice task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias. And for those people that are a little bit naive, or not well read, there is a tremendous anti-Christian bias. We don’t hear about it. We don’t think about it. You hear about anti-Semitic, but you don’t hear about anti-Christian.” – Donald Trump

🎯IMPACT: Trump’s speech highlights the issue of anti-Christian bias and his administration’s ongoing efforts to stamp it out.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump addressed the White House Religious Liberty Commission at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., on Monday, emphasizing the growth of anti-Christian hatred and bias and his efforts to address it. “I created the first-ever Department of Justice task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias. And for those people that are a little bit naive, or not well read, there is a tremendous anti-Christian bias,” he told his audience. “We don’t hear about it. We don’t think about it. You hear about anti-Semitic, but you don’t hear about anti-Christian.”

President Trump stressed that there is a “strong anti-Christian bias,” but that his administration is “ending that rapidly,” adding: “We’re in a much different world today than we were one year ago.”

Infamously, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under the former Biden-Harris government distributed the so-called Richmond Memo to over a thousand employees, describing traditional Catholics as “Radical Traditionalist” ideologues and linking them to “racially or ethnically motivated” violence.

Speaking more broadly, President Trump affirmed that “America was founded on faith, as we know, and I’ve been saying it for a long time, when faith gets weaker, our country seems to get weaker.”

The America First leader announced that he had donated his family Bible to the Museum of the Bible, remarking that the Christian holy book has “[f]or thousands of years… shaped civilization, ethics, art and literature, and it’s brought hope, healing, and transformation to untold millions and millions of lives.”

He also addressed his previously expressed desire to take federal action to crush crime in Democrat-run cities like Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, similar to his takeover of law enforcement in Washington, D.C., saying, “We’d love to go into Chicago and straighten it out.”

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September 8, 2025
Economy
Immigration

Trump Moves to Deport Hundreds of Korean Illegal Workers.

PULSE POINTS

âť“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.

đź“ŤWHEN & 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.

đź’¬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.

IN FULL

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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