On September 4, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) kicked off their most recent large-scale immigration raid at a manufacturing facility in Georgia. This facility, which is jointly operated by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution, In the 2017 operation, 475 workers were arrested. Most of them were charged with being in the country illegally or without the proper work permits. That incident spurred a wildly disproportionate, immediate response from the White House. It raised red flags over foreign investment in the United States.
A day after the raid, authorities began sending back hundreds of detained South Korean workers home Thursday. This enforcement action illustrated the profound impact of the operation. The White House characterized the raid as an exception, violating the administration’s own larger deportation strategy of the Trump administration. This strategy included a major emphasis on harming immigration laws across the country. In a statement, U.S. President Donald Trump emphasized that foreign workers are still “welcome” in the United States despite such operations.
Stephen Miller, the Deputy Chief of Staff and Homeland Security Adviser, has long been a proponent of a draconian approach to immigration enforcement. He sets an ambitious target of 3,000 arrests per day. Other critics warn that this aggressive approach could threaten US relationships with crucial allies. In particular, South Korea would be deeply impacted by this heavy-handed unilateralism.
A spokesman for South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called the raid “mind boggling.” They stated this concern even before the recent tragedy. The spokesperson further noted that this would disincentivize future investments in the U.S. This has been a shared concern by many industry leaders.
Meanwhile, the South Korean government is taking a hands-on approach in analyzing the process. They are assessing whether any human rights violations occurred during the law enforcement action. Christopher Landau, America’s senior diplomat in Seoul, said he was embarrassed by the disgraceful episode in talks with his South Korean counterparts. He showed a very clear intention to control any possible diplomatic backlash.
U.S. government officials acknowledged that most of the workers picked up at the plant were undocumented. These people were not legally allowed to remain. American and South Korean business are just as alarmed by these developments. Their fears deepen as they fear its inclusion would deeply undermine ongoing bipartisan efforts to return manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.
To ameliorate these fears, the White House has moved to minimize the extent of harm that will be done by this raid. In addition, it committed to establishing a “visa working group.” This task force will make sure that South Korean nationals receive the proper visas so that they will follow U.S. immigration law. This move has sparked debate in part over establishing a new U.S. visa quota for South Korean workers.
“If we didn’t do this, all of that massive Investment will never come in the first place… I don’t want to frighten off or disincentivize Investment into America by outside Countries or Companies.” – Donald Trump
The immigration raid has since inspired a much larger conversation around the future of foreign investment in the United States. Industry experts warn that aggressive enforcement actions could deter companies from investing in U.S. operations, thereby undermining ongoing efforts to revitalize domestic manufacturing.
The fallout from this raid underscores the delicate balance that the Trump administration seeks to maintain between enforcing immigration laws and fostering an environment conducive to foreign investment. As the administration continues to walk this tightrope of competing interests, it is essential that administration officials continue to speak to the legal and diplomatic ramifications.