On Sunday, Tom Homan, the chief of border affairs in the United States, announced that after raiding a Hyundai factory in Georgia and arresting hundreds of people, there will be more similar immigration enforcement actions targeting businesses in the future.
During an interview on the CNN program “State of the Union” on Sunday, Homan was asked whether the Trump administration would conduct similar raids in the future. He replied, “Yes.”
“We will conduct more enforcement actions in the workplace for two reasons: first, illegal entry into this country is a crime. Second, intentionally hiring illegal foreign workers is also a crime, and they undermine the competitiveness of companies that pay wages to American citizens,” Homan stated.
He added, “No one hires illegal immigrants out of kindness. Employers hire them to work harder, pay lower wages, and weaken the competition.”
In the operation conducted at the Hyundai factory in Georgia last Thursday, U.S. immigration authorities arrested 475 workers who were residing and working illegally in the United States, most of whom were South Korean citizens. Their illegal activities included illegal entry, overstaying visas, or violating visa waiver provisions.
Hyundai released a statement clarifying that while the company owns the factory, the detained workers were not directly employed by them.
The South Korean government has reached an agreement with the U.S. to ensure the release of these detained Korean workers. The South Korean government stated on Sunday that after the administrative procedures are completed, they will send a chartered plane to bring these workers back to South Korea.
Homan also shared his firsthand experience of how illegal immigrants contribute to unemployment among Americans and depress wages. He recounted an incident where, while replacing a roof, he had to search extensively to find a company that guaranteed the employment of legal workers.
“I talked to a company run by a father and son, who had to lay off 20 citizens because they couldn’t win the bid. Their competitor offered a much lower price because they paid their employees much less, as these workers were working illegally in the United States,” Homan said.