Hyundai CEO Distances Company from Georgia ICE Raid and Calls for New Skilled Worker Visas
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Today, Hyundai’s CEO clarified the company’s stance regarding the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid at a battery factory in Georgia, which resulted in the detention of hundreds of South Korean workers. The factory is operated by LG Energy Solutions, with most detained workers employed by suppliers rather than Hyundai itself.
José Muñoz expressed his surprise upon learning about the raid. During a briefing with reporters after Hyundai’s Investor Day event in New York City, he stated:
> “I could not believe what I saw because I would have known, probably before the news. So I said, something is weird here. How can something happen [and] nobody told me? And when I go into the details, then I realize it’s not our facility. It’s LG’s battery plant.”
He further commented on media coverage, criticizing the portrayal of the incident:
> “All the pictures that were shown everywhere, they are pictures of a facility which is different from where the raid happened.”
The incident, which took place on September 4th, saw the arrest of 475 workers, predominantly from South Korea, highlighting concerns about foreign investment and labor practices. This raid has generated significant fallout, prompting reactions from U.S. and South Korean officials. President Donald Trump announced efforts to allow foreign companies to temporarily import “people of expertise” to train American workers, aiming to mitigate the impact on industry.
Muñoz defended the presence of foreign workers involved in building and training staff at the plant, emphasizing the scarcity of domestic expertise for such specialized facilities. He advocated for the creation of a new visa category for highly skilled workers to prevent similar issues in the future:
> “I think the US government has acknowledged that there needs to be a better solution to address this type of situation. Both governments in South Korea and the US are working actively to try to ensure that situations like this don’t happen again.”
The incident has raised concerns about the potential chilling effect on foreign investment in the United States, especially within the automotive and electric vehicle sectors. Muñoz called for proactive measures to safeguard the development of critical industries amid ongoing immigration enforcement debates.