The CEO of Hyundai says that Ice Raid on the Georgia factory withdraws its large opening by two or three months

The $ 4.3 billion operation will delay its opening of two to three months, said Muñoz on Thursday, after Ice has carried out its largest immigration application to a single site at the factory and arrested 475 people.

Some of the South Korean citizens arrested have arrived with short-term visas or in a program to renounce visas to help supervise the construction of the factory, the New York Times reported. Most were subcontractors, although some of the arrested people worked for LG Energy Solution, which is co-owner of the plant. The factory will produce batteries for electric vehicles.

Muñoz said he had been surprised by the news from the raid and rushed to find out if Hyundai workers were involved. The CEO of Hyundai said it was common to bring specialized employees to supervise construction.

“For the plant construction phase, you need to get specialized people. There are a lot of skills and equipment that you cannot find in the United States,” said Muñoz on the sidelines of a Detroit car conference, according to CNN.

The deadline, which could be up to three months, really depends on the question of whether Hyundai and LG can bring back foreign workers to help build the factory, “because knowledge is not there,” Muñoz told Axios.

ICE arrest of nearly 500 South Korean workers has aroused criticism in their country of origin, especially after Ice has published a video of the workers arrested inaugurated on a handcuffed bus and ankle obstacles.

After the arrest, many workers were planned for the voluntary withdrawal from the United States, but faced a 24-hour delay while President Donald Trump opened discussions with South Korea to let them stay and train American workers. The workers arrived in Seoul on Friday on a plane chartered by the South Korean government after spending a week in detention.

A White House spokesman said in a statement Fortune That the United States is proud to be a home for major investments.

“All foreign workers brought for specific projects must enter the United States legally and with appropriate work permits. President Trump will continue to keep his promise to do the best place in the world to do business, while also applying federal immigration laws,” the spokesman said in a statement.

The battery operation in Ellabelll, in Georgia, is only part of a massive “metapping” of 3,000 acres announced in 2022 which was presented as the largest economic project of the State. In a relatively rapid turnaround, the factory began production two years later on the Hyundai Ioniq 5.

The ICE raid on the Georgia factory shows the conflict of efforts by President Trump to stimulate the application and deportations of immigration as well as his calls for more domestic manufacturing. Hyundai has started $ 26 billion to increase its automotive production, supply chains and technological progress in the United States.

The CEO of Hyundai told Axios that the company was still attached to its American investments.

“The United States is strategically important for the long-term environment, and our investment plans are continuing, okay? But this is something that must be resolved to be able to go fast,” said Muñoz.

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