Washington, September 15, (HS):
US President Donald Trump has affirmed that America must remain open to foreign expertise, especially as companies from allied nations invest in critical US industries. His remarks, posted on Truth Social, came in response to a massive US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid at a Hyundai battery plant in Georgia, where nearly 475 South Korean nationals were detained.
Trump warned that overly restrictive immigration policies risk driving away vital international investments needed for American competitiveness in advanced manufacturing.
“When foreign companies building extremely complex products come to the United States with massive investments, I want them to bring their expert personnel to train our people… If we didn’t do this, all of that investment—chips, semiconductors, computers, ships, trains—would never materialize. We have to learn from others or, in many cases, relearn,” Trump wrote.
He highlighted America’s declining shipbuilding capacity as an example, stating, “We used to build a ship a day and now barely build a ship a year. I don’t want to frighten off or disincentivize investment from outside countries. We welcome them, we welcome their employees, and we are willing to learn from them, and do even better than them at their own ‘game’ in the not too distant future!”
The raid and its diplomatic fallout have raised concerns in Seoul, with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung warning that Korean businesses may reconsider direct investments in the US.
“As things stand now, our businesses will hesitate to make direct investments in the United States,” Lee said, according to MSNBC, while urging Washington to ease visa restrictions for South Korean workers to protect future joint projects.
The Trump administration, seeking to defuse tensions, dispatched Secretary of State Marco Rubio to meet South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun.
The State Department emphasized that Washington “welcomes Korean investment, especially in shipbuilding and other strategic industries,” adding that such partnerships are vital for revitalizing American manufacturing and ensuring fair trade.
The episode underscores the delicate balance between border security and economic partnership, as the US navigates competing priorities of immigration enforcement and maintaining its appeal to global investors in an era of heightened geopolitical competition.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
