Hyundai Motor Group Halts US Business Trips for Employees After Major Immigration Raid
Hyundai Motor Group, the South Korean auto giant, has told its employees to hold off on business trips to the United States. This comes right after a massive immigration raid in Georgia detained hundreds of South Koreans. The move aims to keep staff safe amid the ongoing tensions, according to industry insiders.
In an internal notice, the company asked workers planning US trips next week to rethink their schedules. They made an exception only for urgent and essential visits. Sources say this is all about preparing for any fallout from the recent raid, even though no Hyundai employees got caught up in it.
The raid targeted a factory run by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution Ltd. Out of 457 people arrested, over 300 were South Korean nationals. It was a huge operation, and now the South Korean presidential office says talks to free these workers have wrapped up successfully.
South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is heading to Washington this week to push things forward. He’s set to fly out on Monday afternoon and meet with US officials. His main goals? Get cooperation to release the detained South Koreans quickly and sort out the paperwork. Diplomatic sources also say he’ll ask for steps to stop similar raids in the future and push for better visa rules for South Korean workers heading to the US.
During a government meeting on Saturday about the arrests, Cho mentioned he’d go to Washington if needed for these high-level talks. This raid, which happened on Thursday, is being called the biggest single-site enforcement action ever by US Homeland Security Investigations. Even US President Donald Trump backed the ICE operation on Friday, referring to those detained as "illegal aliens."
The situation has sparked big concerns for South Korean companies operating in the US, especially around immigration raids and visa issues. As negotiations conclude and the foreign minister steps in, many are watching closely for updates on the release of these workers and how it might affect business travel to the US. Stay tuned for more on this developing story involving Hyundai, South Korea, and US immigration policies.
