DETROIT, Sept 11 (Reuters) - A battery plant co-owned by

Hyundai Motor ( HYMLF ) is facing a minimum delay of two to

three months following an immigration raid last week, Hyundai's

CEO Jose Munoz said Thursday.

The Georgia plant, which is operated through a joint-venture

between Hyundai and South Korea's LG Energy Solution

, was at the center of the largest single-site

enforcement operation in the U.S. Department of Homeland

Security's history.

Munoz, in his first public comments since the raid, said he was

surprised when he heard the news and immediately inquired if

Hyundai workers were involved. He said the company discovered

that the workers at the center of the raid were mainly employed

by suppliers of LG.

It is typical for an automotive battery plant to employ these

workers as it's getting off the ground, Munoz said.

"For the construction phase of the plants, you need to get

specialized people. There are a lot of skills and equipment that

you cannot find in the United States," Munoz said, on the

sidelines of an automotive event in Detroit.