Trump halts deportation of hundreds of S.Korean workers after Hyundai raid- FT

U.S. President Donald Trump has halted the deportation of hundreds of South Korean workers arrested during an immigration raid on a Hyundai-LG battery plant in Georgia, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

Trump told officials to “encourage” workers arrested at the Georgia plant in a raid last week to remain in the country, the FT reported, citing comments from South Korean diplomats in a Washington briefing.

Trump was seen calling for the workers to stay and train Americans, the report said.

The workers were initially slated to fly to Seoul on Wednesday.

South Korean media reports showed officials bewildered by the immigration raid, with President Lee Jae Myung seen flagging reluctance towards more investments in the U.S. following the Trump administration’s raid.

South Korean officials had objected to hundreds of workers being chained and handcuffed during the raid, footage of which was released by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The worker flight to Seoul is now set to depart Atlanta on Thursday. Of The 330 workers due to be deported, all but one chose to remain in the U.S., the FT said, citing a report from South Korean news agency Yonhap.

Seoul and Washington had earlier this year signed an agreement outlining hundreds of billions in investment by South Korean companies in the United States.