The two main priorities of US President Donald Trump – clamping down on illegal immigration and reindustrializing the country – collided on Thursday, September 4, near Savannah, Georgia, with consequences that remain difficult to assess. The raid at a Hyundai automotive site, which led to the arrest of 475 people, including 300 South Koreans, was described by border police as "the largest raid" in its history. For South Korea – whose president, Lee Jae‑myung, pledged $350 billion (€299 billion) in investments in the United States during a meeting at the Oval Office in late August – it was an embarrassing blowback.

There was still a palpable sense of unease around the industrial site on Monday, September 8. "I came back this morning, but we don't know what we'll do in the coming days, whether we should go home or stay," said one employee from Seoul, who wished to remain anonymous, although he insisted he was "in compliance with regulations." Workers said they would not soon forget that Thursday: 400 masked federal agents storming the site, a helicopter circling overhead, armored vehicles, shouting and colleagues handcuffed and taken away in buses.

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