For all of its efforts to drive a domestic manufacturing boom in key industries, the United States remains heavily reliant on Asian expertise to build batteries, the powerful technologies that underpin drones, electric vehicles, and much more. 

It’s a reality that was laid bare last week when U.S. immigration officials raided an EV battery plant construction site in Georgia and detained around 475 workers, most of whom were South Korean nationals. The plant is co-owned by Hyundai, a South Korean carmaker. U.S. authorities said the raid was the biggest single-site enforcement operation in the Department of Homeland Security’s history. 

For all of its efforts to drive a domestic manufacturing boom in key industries, the United States remains heavily reliant on Asian expertise to build batteries, the powerful technologies that underpin drones, electric vehicles, and much more. 

It’s a reality that was laid bare last week when U.S. immigration officials raided an EV battery plant construction site in Georgia and detained around 475 workers, most of whom were South Korean nationals. The plant is co-owned by Hyundai, a South Korean carmaker. U.S. authorities said the raid was the biggest single-site enforcement operation in the Department of Homeland Security’s history. 

The raid ignited a diplomatic firestorm with longtime U.S. ally South Korea and has cast a spotlight on the state of the U.S. battery sector. Batteries are essential to powering many of the world’s most cutting-edge defense and energy technologies, including military drones and submarines. Yet the U.S. industry remains deeply dependent on foreign know-how to grow its own sector, and experts warn that the Trump administration’s Hyundai crackdown risks further spooking investment. 

“We are reliant on foreign help to build and scale this........

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