White House: Homeland Security and Commerce Departments Jointly Respond to Prevent Recurrence of Korean Worker Detentions

Regarding the large-scale detention of Korean workers at the Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution joint battery plant in Georgia during a U.S. immigration enforcement operation, the White House has announced that relevant government departments are working together to address issues such as visas for foreign company employees.

On the 9th (local time), White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt responded in a briefing to a question about whether the administration is pursuing amendments to visa regulations to prevent a recurrence of this incident, stating that relevant departments are jointly responding to the issue.

Caroline Levitt White House Spokesperson. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Levitt explained that President Donald Trump "issued a statement last Sunday (the 7th) expressing deep appreciation for foreign companies around the world and their investments in the United States," and added, "He understands that these companies want to bring highly skilled and trained workers with them to the U.S." She continued, "This is especially true when they are producing very specialized products like semiconductors, or batteries as in Georgia."

However, Levitt emphasized, "The President also expects these foreign companies to hire American workers. He expects that foreign and American workers will work together, train each other, and share their expertise."

She described President Trump's position on this matter as "very nuanced and responsible," and said, "The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Commerce are working together on this issue."

The Department of Homeland Security oversees immigration policy, while the Department of Commerce is responsible for attracting foreign investment. This indicates that the two key departments are seeking solutions to address the residency status of workers employed by foreign-invested companies in the United States.

The Trump administration encourages foreign investment in the U.S., but at the same time, strict visa policies have made it difficult for companies to secure skilled talent. By using high tariffs as leverage to attract foreign investment while implementing extremely tough immigration policies, the administration appears to have recognized the institutional contradictions exposed by this incident.

On the previous day, Arius Derr, Director of Communications at the Korea Economic Institute (KEI), stated that the U.S. Congress should establish a new professional visa category for Korean nationals, and that the administration should operate existing visa programs more flexibly, such as by expanding the scope of activities permitted under the B1 visa.

Earlier, on the 7th, President Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, "We encourage you to legally bring in very smart people with great technical talent to produce world-class products. And we will make it possible for you to do so quickly and legally."

Meanwhile, U.S. and Korean authorities are in the final stages of coordinating details regarding the repatriation of the detained Korean workers, including chartered flights and bus transportation.

On the 9th, Consul General Cho Kijung told reporters in front of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Folkston, Georgia, "We are continuing to prepare administrative and technical matters with the cooperation of the U.S. side," adding, "We are doing our utmost to ensure our citizens can return to Korea as quickly as possible."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.