https://wapo.st/4ngrnns (gift link, free)
Quote:
Outrage, confusion in South Korea after Georgia immigration raid
South Korea pledged to invest $350 billion in the U.S. in a trade deal. Now the country is reeling at actions many see as counter to the spirit of the alliance.
SEOUL — The large-scale immigration raid on a Hyundai-LG battery factory in Georgia has sent shock waves across South Korea, a U.S. security ally that has this year pledged to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the United States and is now balking at what many here view as the Trump administration’s bad-faith actions.
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https://www.politico.com/news/2025/0...-jobs-00551265
Quote:
Attorney says detained Korean Hyundai workers had special skills for short-term jobs
He said no company in the U.S. makes the machines that are used in the Georgia plant, so workers had to come from abroad to install or repair equipment.
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A B-1 visitor for business visa allows foreign workers to stay for up to six months, getting reimbursed for expenses while collecting a paycheck back home. There are limits — for example, they can supervise construction projects but can’t build anything themselves — but if it’s spelled out in a contract, they can install equipment, Los Angeles immigration lawyer Angelo Paparelli said.
Also, South Korea is one of 41 countries whose citizens can use the U.S. Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), which provides a visa waiver if they can provide “a legitimate reason’’ for their visit, and this basically gives them B-1 visa status for up to 90 days, said immigration attorney Rita Sostrin in Los Angeles.
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It's still pretty fuzzy what exactly was in violation though it's more likely than not that these Korean workers were technically in violation of their B1 (or similar visa) - however the violation likely were also of the type that normally gets swept under the rug (I know plenty of tech workers who travel to US HQs on B1s who totally violate the visa - "meetings" yeah sure).
Regardless, shackling up workers like this is banana republic stuff.
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