Hyundai CEO says he learned of Georgia ICE raid from the news as company presses ahead with battery plant expansion
CEO Jose Muñoz says he did not receive a direct alert about the Sept. 4 raid; Hyundai plans a $2.7 billion expansion at the Ellabell, Ga., battery plant despite disruptions and labor concerns.
The ICE raid on Hyundai's Georgia battery plant was the largest single-site operation in the agency's history, and Hyundai Motor Co. Chief Executive Jose Muñoz said he learned about it from the news. Muñoz, who took the helm in January, was working from Hyundai's California office when federal agents swept into the Hyundai-LG Energy Solution joint venture in Ellabell on Sept. 4, detaining 475 workers. “I could not believe what I saw because I would’ve known normally before the news,” Muñoz told CNN during a media roundtable. He said he was not notified immediately, in part because the Ellabell plant is operated by LG Energy Solution, Hyundai's partner in the site.
Muñoz said he has since been in touch with U.S. and South Korean authorities, including the Trump administration, to discuss the incident and to seek assurances that such actions do not happen again. He told reporters that both governments are working actively to address the situation and prevent a recurrence, and he expressed empathy for the workers and their families affected by the raid. Hyundai has described the Georgia project as a cornerstone of its U.S. manufacturing investment, underscoring billions of dollars poured into U.S. infrastructure and the broader push to accelerate U.S. EV production. The raid has added strain to the growing liaison between Washington and Seoul over how best to protect supply chains and labor standards in a rapidly expanding U.S. EV ecosystem.
Hyundai said the raid would cause a two- to three-month startup delay for the Ellabell battery plant, which is still under construction. Despite the setback, the automaker reaffirmed its expansion plans, including a $2.7 billion investment to increase production capacity at the Ellabell facility by 200,000 vehicles over the next three years, lifting total output to about 500,000 vehicles annually. The company has noted that it will need to assemble and test a highly specialized workforce to reach that goal, and it has moved workers from other plants to Georgia to fill the gaps created by the detentions and the transport back to South Korea.
Muñoz said the Georgia site requires a very specific skill set that is not readily available in the United States, a factor that has complicated operations in the wake of the raid. He suggested creating a visa framework for foreign specialized workers that would allow multiple entries into the U.S. over time — a policy currently offered only to workers from certain countries. He noted that visas for such workers are available to people from nations including Canada, Mexico, Singapore and Chile, but not South Korea, which has implications for Hyundai’s ability to deploy talent across the Georgia plant and other U.S. operations.
The Georgia battery plant is a centerpiece of Hyundai’s broader strategy to build domestic EV and battery capability in the United States. The joint venture with LG Energy Solution represents a major manufacturing bet aimed at strengthening U.S. supply chains for EVs and their components. The Sept. 4 operation highlighted the risks and operational challenges that can accompany rapid growth in a sector dependent on highly specialized labor. The company has emphasized resilience and continuity plans for its U.S. manufacturing footprint, insisting that the project remains on track, even as it navigates the fallout from enforcement actions and the associated legal and diplomatic sensitivities.
As Hyundai continues to integrate operations and address the labor challenges highlighted by the raid, Muñoz and company executives have stressed a long-term commitment to U.S. manufacturing and the local communities that host its plants. The investor conference in New York, where Muñoz spoke to shareholders and partners, underscored the company’s intent to proceed with the Georgia expansion while working with authorities to ensure compliance and employee protections. The episode is likely to influence how automakers and policymakers balance immigration, labor, and national security considerations as the United States scales up its EV production capacity.
