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Episode details

World Service,09 Sep 2025,26 mins

Why is the US government deporting people building factories?

The Global Story

Available for over a year

Hundreds of workers, most of them South Korean nationals, were detained last week at a Hyundai plant in Georgia after the largest immigration raid of Trump’s second term. The raid puts two of the administration’s key priorities to the test - cracking down on illegal immigration and bringing manufacturing back to America - but has it exposed a conflict between the two policy goals? We speak to BBC Verify US Correspondent Nick Beake who has been to the site, and to Jake Kwon from the BBC Seoul bureau, about whether this has jeopardised relations between the US and one of its major trading partners. Producers: Sam Chantarasak and Xandra Ellin Executive producers: James Shield and Annie Brown Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins Image: US immigration raid at Hyundai-LG plant in Georgia. Shutterstock/EPA

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