New York
—
When the US Department of Homeland Security performed its largest single-site enforcement operation in historical past at the Hyundai – LG Battery Plant in Georgia earlier this month, Hyundai’s CEO was working out of his California workplace. He stated he found out about it on the news.
“I could not believe what I saw because I would’ve known normally before the news,” CEO José Muñoz informed NCS in a media roundtable Thursday.
Muñoz stated that the EV battery plant in Ellabell, Georgia, is operated by South Korea’s LG Energy Solution, which is probably going why he wasn’t notified instantly. More than 300 South Korean employees had been detained by ICE throughout a raid at the three way partnership on September 4th and had been deported again to South Korea final week. Muñoz says he’s been in contact with the Trump administration since the raid.
“I think both governments, South Korea and the US are working activity to try to ensure that situation like this don’t happen again,” Muñoz informed reporters.
Earlier on Thursday, Muñoz opened the firm’s first US investor convention in New York City by expressing his compassion to these employees and their households.
“I want to express our sincere empathy for the workers from our supplier partner companies who were detained. We understand the stress and hardship this has caused for them and their families,” he stated.
Hyundai has poured billions of {dollars} of funding into the United States and the EV battery plant in Ellabell as a part of the largest financial growth mission in Georgia’s historical past, Munoz informed buyers.
Muñoz beforehand stated the raid would delay the opening of the battery plant, which continues to be below development, by two to 3 months. But Hyundai recommitted its funding plans Thursday to part two of the Georgia advanced, totaling $2.7 billion and three,000 new jobs.
The South Korean employees that had been deported had been specialised employees in the three way partnership battery plant. Muñoz informed reporters Thursday that the firm has needed to transfer employees from different vegetation to make up for the misplaced labor.
“What I’ve learned in the past couple of days and weeks is that activities in this particular battery factory that require a very specific expertise that is not in the country,” Muñoz informed reporters.
Muñoz stated international employees wanted for specialised work ought to have a particular visa and the capacity to return in and out of the United States. Countries like Canada, Mexico, Singapore and Chile have such visas for specialised employees with the US, however South Korea doesn’t.
“I believe there needs to be a visa which is especially designed for these types of people that may need to enter the country five or six or six, seven times. Once the factory is finished, they don’t come back again,” Muñoz informed NCS at the roundtable.
Asked by if he was nervous a raid like this might occur once more: “Nobody can say they are exempt (from) everything.”