The White House has brandished flamboyant, 12-figure investment pledges from foreign nations as proof its global tariff assault is producing rewards for Americans. Pressure alone, however, won’t transform those promises into factories on the ground.

A sweeping immigration raid on a Korean battery plant in Georgia on Sept. 4 underscores the challenge. Barely 10 days earlier, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung had flown to Washington to cement a trade truce, promising a $350 billion fund to help companies expand in the U.S., including in batteries, shipbuilding and autos; private Korean firms committed another $150 billion. Not surprisingly, images of hundreds of Korean employees then being shackled like criminals for suspected visa violations provoked a fierce backlash.

Ultimately, the

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