Hyundai CEO reveals he found out about the ICE raid on the Georgia plant through the news.

Hyundai CEO Reacts to ICE Raid at Georgia Factory

The recent ICE operation at Hyundai’s battery factory in Georgia marked the largest single-site raid in the department’s history. Surprisingly, the automaker’s CEO, Jose Munoz, learned about this incident from the news.

Munoz, who took charge of the company in January, mentioned he was in California when the raid occurred, which resulted in the detention of 475 workers at the Hyundai LG facility on September 4th.

“It was reported in the news, and I honestly couldn’t believe my eyes,” he stated during a media roundtable with CNN.

He clarified that since the electric vehicle battery plant operates under LG Energy Solutions from South Korea, they likely weren’t informed about the raid beforehand.

More than 300 Korean employees were taken into custody during the operation and were sent back to South Korea on charter flights just last week.

Authorities released video footage showing workers with their hands and ankles bound.

Munoz noted he has been in contact with the Trump administration regarding the ramifications of this mass deportation.

“I think both the U.S. government and South Korea want to ensure that something like this doesn’t occur again,” he shared with reporters. However, he hesitated when asked if he was worried about future incidents.

During the company’s first investor conference in the U.S., held in New York City, Munoz communicated directly with the families of the detained workers.

“I want to express my heartfelt sympathy for the workers and their families affected by this situation,” he said.

He emphasized that Hyundai has invested significantly in U.S. infrastructure, including the construction of Georgia’s EV battery plant, which represents one of the largest economic development projects in the state’s history.

Munoz also mentioned that the factory, still under construction, would face delays of two to three months due to the raid.

At the investors’ meeting, Hyundai confirmed that plans for expanding the factory are still on track.

The company anticipates increasing production capacity at the Erabelle site by 200,000 units over the next three years, aiming for a total of 500,000 vehicles annually.

To address the loss of specialized workers who returned to South Korea after the incident, Hyundai had to reassign personnel from other plants to the Georgia facility.

“What I’ve realized recently is that operations within this battery factory demand specific expertise that’s not readily available here,” Munoz explained.

He suggested that foreign professionals should have access to special visas allowing multiple entries into the U.S., emphasizing that the current system isn’t accommodating enough.

“Once the factory is complete, they won’t return,” he added.

While such visas are available for workers from countries like Canada, Mexico, Singapore, and Chile, they aren’t extended to South Korea.