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Has anyone disputed the validity of the visas of the workers which were deported? My understanding is that SK citizens cannot get E-4, so people came to the US

• Simulacra 1y ago
  It was a clear violation, the rest of this is just posturing for politics. Most of the people had come on the wrong visa, knowingly. So either the company lied, or the employees are lying, or both.
  • a_bonobo 1y ago
    >Leaked Ice document shows worker detained in Hyundai raid had valid visa >At least one of the Korean workers swept up in a huge immigration raid on a Hyundai Motor factory site in Georgia last week was living and working legally in the US, according to an internal federal government document obtained by the Guardian. >Officials then “mandated” that he agree to be removed from the US despite not having violated his visa. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/10/hyundai-factory-ice-raid-legal-visa https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/10/hyundai-fact...
    • like_any_other 1y ago
      "worker", singular. And the rest?
      • sinuhe69 1y ago
        Is the blatant violation of the rights and dignity of at least one person not alarming enough for you? Shouldn't the rights of individuals be respected? And can a society that willingly turns a blind eye to such incidents still be called a constitutional state?
        • like_any_other 1y ago
          I don't entirely disagree with your position, but I'd still like to know. Or to put it another way: When the media so blatantly cherry-pick what they choose to report and what they turn a blind eye to, can such a misinformed society really be called a democracy?
          • const_cast 1y ago
            The entire crusade against "illegal immigrants" in the US is built on misinformation. Pretty much everything the Trump administration has said about, well, everything, has been a thinly veiled lie. Its not misinformation vs the governments word. Its misinformation vs populist pseudo-fascist misinformation. If the government is telling you or us that these workers did not have valid visas, that probably means that at least some definitely did have valid visas.
    • themaninthedark 1y ago
      >According to the file written by an agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), an agency within Ice, the man entered the US “with a valid B1/B2 visa”, which allows for some business-related activities and tourism. He was at the Hyundai factory as a contractor with a South Korean company. I did some research on B1/B2 Visa's it looks like the work allowed is rather restricted. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45207369 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45207369
  • keepamovin 1y ago
    Exactly! But now they’re going to claim special treatment, avoid responsibility, and show their true attitudes beneath the surface: they don’t respect you or your laws. This is not caused by Trump; its latent attitude being surfaced.
    • Erem 1y ago
      > they don’t respect you or your laws. You have to ignore just about every other part of the story to arrive at this breathless conclusion. Let’s remember that for this project alone Hyundai invested more money than 99% of us will ever see into this country, and more sum labor hours than any of our individual lives. That’s not what disrespect looks like. Maybe their visas were not in order so ok enforce that. But not by having their engineers perp walked on live television. As a side note, if we are going to judge the Hyundai engineers then we must also believe that Elon Musk should have been deported due to his well known early career visa violations. or be damned as hypocrites.
      • keepamovin 1y ago
        So even tho they broke the law, their treatment was unfair because ... money? Got it. And the embarrassment of being recognized for the crime they committed? Those poor souls - true injustice!
        • const_cast 1y ago
          Their treatment was unfair because ICE is a domestic terrorism organization and they got fucking propaganda paraded on live television. Look around you. Is this really the US you want to be living in? Are you really so pathetic as to be proud of this? What kind of people do we want to be? Do we really want to be cruel cunts and wave around a "well it's technically legal!!1!" flag? Is that who YOU want to be? Is that how the US should treat allies which invest billions into our economy?
          • keepamovin 1y ago
            I see. So, when SK perp walks its own illegal migrant arrests on TV, it's "totally fine" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEqFXzeTm5w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEqFXzeTm5w). But if the US does it to criminal South Koreans? "Propaganda! Propaganda! Propaganda!" Hmm, a racist double standard you'd like to preserve? So...arresting crims in the US (but not SK) and locking up psychos who dismember young Americans is (for you) 'domestic terrorism', because you're ... fine with rampant crime and bloodshed against Americans? But "terrified" of Americans feeling safe, and society being peaceful? Huh, okay. Are you South Korean and lacking empathy? Or are you in fact MS-13 or TDA? Or ... I know this dates me a bit, Al-Qaieda or Daesh? If not, maybe apply today. You're already making them proud. Good on you, you've found your purpose!
  • viraptor 1y ago
    > It was a clear violation Can you show us the proof? > Most of the people had come on the wrong visa Can you show us the proof? > knowingly Can you show us the proof? You're very sure about it without all the details being known and people possibly still wanting to get out safely, without causing further conflicts by speaking out. I've done enough travel / border chats that if I ended up in their situation, I'd be keen to shut up and get out as soon as possible, regardless of my legal status.
• jordanb 1y ago
  Yeah bringing in people on a tourists visa would have been unthinkable at any place I've ever worked.
  • AnotherGoodName 1y ago
    The ESTA visa waiver which is the easiest way into the USA for allied nations specifically allows meetings, consultation, training and states that installation of advanced equipment is allowed under that visa. The question being asked by the parent is if they stepped outside the boundaries of that visa waiver.
  • viraptor 1y ago
    There are more options than "tourist" and "working" visa. Your message is significantly oversimplifying it. Until we know what they were actually doing at work (really, not claimed by ice), we won't know how valid their stay was.
  • seanmcdirmid 1y ago
    None of them were actually on tourist visas from what I heard, so you can be confident in your unthinkable situations.
  • jbm 1y ago
    When I worked at Salesforce Japan, I went to conferences in the US. I always honestly said it was for business when entering the country. I spent nearly the whole time at the office, and answered emails from customers and clients. No one asked about visas. I didn't think that was an issue since I really was there for a week for a business conference, but maybe it was? After all, technically it was a "Tourist" visa. In the end though, SFDC keeps almost all of its technical talent in the US. If the government really got annoying, they probably would have stuck to the local talent and forgotten about the rest of us.
  • numpad0 1y ago
    The thing is, that ESTA thing everyone calling American "tourist visa" is not an actual tourist visa. It's a "visa waiver" for "visitors" and basically the US border security recommended option for these business guys. Technically there are lots of restrictions and actual commercial visas are sometimes required, like you've been to sanctioned countries in the past, or if you're engaging in businesses locally like purchasing materials to export for resale(not even B-1 allows that?), but it's all kind of arbitrary.
• roughly 1y ago
  In at least one case, a worker had a valid visa: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/10/hyundai-factory-ice-raid-legal-visa https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/10/hyundai-fact...
  • themaninthedark 1y ago
    It looks to me like they may have been in breach of their visa depending on the work they were doing: A B-1 / B-2 visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows foreign nationals to travel to the United States temporarily for business (B-1), tourism (B-2), or a mix of both (B1/B2). https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/b-1-b-2-visitor-visa-explained/ https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/b-1-b-2-visi... B1 Visa Subcategories and Special Cases While the B-1 visa generally restricts employment and formal education, there are some exceptions under specific circumstances. These exceptions aren’t separate visa categories but annotations considered by the U.S. consular officers during the visitor visa application process. Here’s a closer look at these special B-1 subcategories: B-1 after-sales service visa: Companies selling equipment to the U.S. can leverage this visa to send assemblers for on-site service orders. Think of it as temporary technical support. These assemblers can perform tasks like installation, maintenance, and training, but the assembly work must be done by U.S. personnel. B-1 in place of H-1B visa (temporary project visa): Some professionals might be eligible for a B-1 visa for temporary projects in specific scenarios. This option can be viable when an H-1B visa, typically used for specialty occupations, might be challenging to obtain. B-1 instead of H-3 visa (short-term training): Under certain conditions, the B-1 category can be used for brief in-house training sessions or further employee education. It allows for skills development without needing a dedicated H-3 visa designed for trainee positions. IMPORTANT! These B1 business visa exceptions have strict requirements. Working with an immigration service provider or lawyer is highly recommended to determine if a particular B-1 visa category fits your situation. https://www.immigrationdirect.com/guides/b1-b2-visitor-visa/ https://www.immigrationdirect.com/guides/b1-b2-visitor-visa/
    • decimalenough 1y ago
      From the friendly link, ICE itself says he did not violate his visa conditions in any way: From statements made and queries in law enforcement databases, [redacted] has not violated his visa; however, the Atlanta Field Office Director has mandated [redacted] be presented as a Voluntary Departure. [Redacted] has accepted voluntary departure despite not violating his B1/B2 visa requirements.”
• Cornbilly 1y ago
  It’s my understanding that a lot of them were on B-1 visas.
  • ytch 1y ago
    But South Korean are eligible for ESTA program. IIRC, US embassies in eligible countries are usually very picky about issuing B-1 visas. They assume ESTA works in most cases, so you need a strong reason to apply for B-1.
• gpm 1y ago
  There's definitely a dispute over whether at least some of the people detained were operating within the bounds of their visa's: https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/lawyer-says-many-immigrants-detained-hyundai-us-facility-appeared-be-working-2025-09-10/ https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/lawyer-says... It's also very noteworthy that these people are still being imprisoned in the US on Donald Trump's orders - Trump having personally prevented the repatriation of the Koreans to Korea today. There is absolutely no reason to believe that we have the full story, or that the Korean government, or the Korean's individual friends/families/represetnatives feel free to speak freely as America seemingly holds their citizens hostage. To say that lack of further public disputes is proof that there is not more to dispute seems false to me.
  • themaninthedark 1y ago
    That is a bit hyperbolic to say they are being held hostage, the government has accused them of a crime and is holding them while they are given due process. We can debate the validity of the government's claim, I have seen an article which says that the workers were on B1/B2 Visa which has strict requirements for what is allowed from what I have read but also says the government in it's internal report also stated no crime was committed. Which countries just repatriate those they accuse of crimes rather than prosecute?
    • gpm 1y ago
      No - there is no due process or criminal charges at play here. The government detained them per immigration law in order to deport them, for the sake of argument lawfully. The government arranged to repatriate them. Then in order to attempt to negotiate a business deal Donald Trump ordered them not repatriated, and instead to be continued to be held in US custody without trial, without criminal charges, and without even the suggestion that the purpose was to charge them criminally. Rather the explicit purpose was to attempt to negotiate a business deal where they would remain working in the US. Holding people in custody in order to negotiate a business deal is the definition of hostage taking.
  • bix6 1y ago
• qingcharles 1y ago
  I've not seen any good summary of whether any/some/all of those arrested had actually committed any sort of immigration violation. I would love to see some actual truth about it.
• malloryerik 1y ago
  I think there feeling is, you say you want us to build our products in the U.S. but then our essential workers aren't allowed in so it's an impossible demand.
• jkaplowitz 1y ago
  > My understanding is that SK citizens cannot get E-4 Nobody can, because it doesn’t exist. The E-4 visa mentioned in the article is a proposed new classification that a bill pending in Congress would, if enacted, create just for Korean workers, similar to the existing E-3 classification for Australians.
  • garbawarb 1y ago
    Would that be done by congress? I thought all nonimmigrant-intent work visas like that were written into treaties.
    • lazyasciiart 1y ago
      They’re written into US immigration law, possibly having been negotiated in a treaty earlier.
    • jkaplowitz 1y ago
      Yes, by Congress, even if and when required by a treaty or other international agreement. Look up §101(a)(15) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, codified at 8 USC §1101(a)(15), for all the nonimmigrant classifications: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1101 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1101 8 USC §1101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b) has H-1B, 8 USC §1101(a)(15)(E)(iii) has E-3, and so on. A treaty is not self-executing under US law unless it is both ratified by 2/3 of the Senate pursuant to the Treaty Clause of the Constitution and also contains language expressing that it will be self-executing upon ratification, in which case it has the same domestic legal effect as an Act of Congress. See Medellín v. Texas, 552 U.S. 491 (2008), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medell%C3%ADn_v._Texas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medell%C3%ADn_v._Texas for a recent SCOTUS precedent about this. Many agreements which are treated internationally as treaties, including most US free trade agreements, are not considered as such for purposes of US constitutional law; many others are not self-executing even when they are ratified through the Treaty Clause procedure. These only have effect in US domestic law when implemented by implementing legislation passed by Congress, or to whatever extent the executive branch handles implementation through regulations, policies, or similar which it already has the authority to promulgate without new legislation.
• yibg 1y ago
  Problem is the current visas are fairly vague and ambiguous. B1/B2 visa allows for business travel for things like negotiations, conferences and such. You can't "work", but the definition and the practical enforcement of work is nebulous. For instance, here is a category listed by the government explicitly for "Engineer(s) install, service or repair commercial or industrial equipment or machinery sold by a non-U.S. company to a U.S. buyer". Now if someone travels to the US to meet with a team here but also checks email / slack, or write some code together, is that work and in violation of the scope of the visa? If so, what's the alternative? Can't get any actual work visa since those require employment and being paid in the US.