Around 475 workers at a battery plant in Georgia jointly owned by South Korean companies LG and Hyundai were arrested in an ICE raid at the facility. Now, people online are criticizing President Donald Trump for inviting multiple foreign companies to invest in the U.S. only to disrupt their business with such raids.
In an earlier press release, Trump’s administration called foreign investments “crucial for economic growth, job creation, and innovation.” To ensure this, he enforced tariffs across the globe while awaiting deals that he promised would be the best the U.S. had ever seen economically. South Korea adapted to the new administration by pledging to increase its investments in the U.S. to reach $350 billion. Reuters, however, reports that since then South Korea has joined a long list of countries at odds with the specific details of his new trade deals.
On Sep. 5, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security went ahead and carried out the largest enforcement raid on a single site in history at a Hyundai Motors car battery facility in Georgia. The federal agents who conducted the raid told reporters that among the individuals they detained, a significant number had either crossed the border illegally or overstayed their visas. Reportedly, most of the people who were eventually arrested were Koreans. Furthermore, the decision to shut down the factory during the raid has since grown into a major controversy.
After disturbing videos began trending on social media showing some workers trying to escape through sewage ponds, it was clear that an official response from the South Korean government was inevitable. Soon, South Korean Foreign Minister Lee Jae-woong stated: “The economic activities of our companies investing in the United States and the interests of our citizens must not be unduly violated during the course of U.S. law enforcement.”
Hyundai also assured the public that they will ensure all employees and subcontractors comply with all laws — including immigration laws. The brunt of the criticism for the Trump administration, however, came from X. One user pointed out that not long ago Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trump were bragging about South Korea’s investment, and now they’re targeting those very plants. He ended his assessment by saying, “the stupidity burns.” Another user described the entire ordeal as dystopian.
We are sinking into a dystopian nightmare.
— Deborah, My Friends Call Me Slayer
Somebody, please, wake me up!(@drodvik52) September 6, 2025
Some comments focused on the status of the immigrants. But it’s also worth mentioning that Jeffrey Epstein and economic policy are not the only issues Trump has been inconsistent with. During his campaign, he went on multiple podcasts declaring that his immigration sweep would not target people simply working essential jobs — but rather undocumented individuals who commit crimes. Even Trump supporters have noticed how he shifts this policy depending on who owns the company employing the immigrants.
The issue of immigration was always more complex than Trump led his supporters to believe during the campaign. Experts consistently warned about this. But Trump simplified the matter — and now, with prices and unemployment going up, the only action the administration can take to grab headlines and satiate his base is mass immigration crackdowns. The question remains how long it will take for that to translate into actual economic relief.
