The United States government has reportedly issued an apology to automaker Hyundai after an immigration raid saw 300 of the automaker’s workers detained – and delayed the opening of a new factory.
The September raid by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a $US12.6 billion ($A19.4 billion) battery plant being constructed in Bryan County, Georgia – which Hyundai is building in partnership with electronics company LG – saw workers handcuffed and forced to the floor before arrests were made.
The raid sparked protests in South Korea and raised tensions between US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
President Lee described the situation as “extremely bewildering” and said it was common to send workers to help establish new factories like the one US ICE authorities raided.
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“If that’s no longer allowed, establishing manufacturing facilities in the US will only become more difficult … making companies question whether it’s worth doing at all,” President Lee said, as reported by the BBC.
Ironically, President Trump’s administration introduced automotive tariffs earlier this year with the goal of encouraging car manufacturers to produce more vehicles and parts in the US.
The US President said he was opposed to the raids, which Hyundai Motor Company president Jose Muñoz said delayed the opening of the factory by at least two months while the company looks for replacement workers.
Mr Muñoz described the raid as a “bad surprise”, but earlier this week said both the White House and the governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, had made contact to apologise for the raid.
Governor Kemp had attended the March 2025 opening of the nearby Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant which has the capacity to produce 500,000 electric and hybrid vehicles annually, which the raided battery plant is to supply.
As reported by the BBC, the Hyundai boss said someone “made a phone call and made it look like there were illegal immigrants” at the factory, which he added was “absolutely not the case”.
Mr Muñoz added Hyundai Motor Company, which also includes Kia – both brands in the top ten most popular makes in the US – remains committed to manufacturing and selling cars in the US despite the disruption to its operations.
The US is the world’s largest new car market with around 16 million sales annually, second only to China.
Hyundai’s largest factory in North America is its Alabama operation, where it builds the Santa Fe and Tucson SUVs as well as the Santa Cruz pickup. It also produces the GV70 SUV for the company’s Genesis luxury brand.
None of Hyundai’s current Australian lineup is made in the US, while Genesis models sold here are made in South Korea.
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