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Hyundai battery plant faces startup delay after US immigration raid, CEO says

61 points by anigbrowl 1y ago

alephnerd 1y ago
I mean, Hyundai did play it fast and loose with B1/2 visas and the VWP [0] - which are NOT meant to be used for construction. If HN detests H1B abuse by consultancies like TCS, then calling out B1/2 and VWP visa abuse by Korean manufacturing firms should be acceptable as well, otherwise it's just white collar hypocrisy. This factory has had multiple deaths in the past two years due to labor abuse and shoddy safety standards [1][2][3], but kept getting pushed back by political pressure. Given the size of the raid, someone at OSHA most likely gave an "anonymous" tip [4]. 91 ambulance calls were made at this factory site over 20 months [5] - well above the average for similar sites [6]. TSMC attempted something similar when spinning up the Chandler fab, but the Biden admin stuck to their guns and pushed back on TSMC. [0] - https://www.ft.com/content/c677b9aa-2e89-4feb-a56f-f3c8452b3674 https://www.ft.com/content/c677b9aa-2e89-4feb-a56f-f3c8452b3... [1] - https://www.kherkhergarcia.com/fatal-forklift-accident-battery-plant-osha-investigation/ https://www.kherkhergarcia.com/fatal-forklift-accident-batte... [2] - https://labornotes.org/2025/09/georgia-battery-plant-raid-spotlights-hyundais-horrible-labor-practices https://labornotes.org/2025/09/georgia-battery-plant-raid-sp... [3] - https://www.spaglaw.com/blog/2025/05/worker-killed-by-falling-load-at-hl-ga-battery-plant-construction-site-in-georgia/ https://www.spaglaw.com/blog/2025/05/worker-killed-by-fallin... [4] - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/12/immigration-georgia-hyundai-south-korea https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/12/immigration-... [5] - https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/local/2025/03/15/people-suffer-injuries-at-hyundai-plant-in-ellabell/82416535007/ https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/local/2025/03/15/peop... [6] - https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/06/construction-deaths-injuries-at-hyundais-georgia-ev-plant-draw-scrutiny/ https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/06/construction-deaths-injurie...
- amanaplanacanal 1y ago
  I don't think "HN" detests anything. Some commenters might, though.
- emorning4 1y ago
  Having masked men with guns and body armor shackle and kidnap workers is not 'calling out visa abuse'.
  - alephnerd 1y ago
    The Korean government does the exact same thing as ICE, and continues to ignore the Korean constitutional court's ruling on indefinite detention [0][1][2], and immigrant abuse is even worse in Korea than the US [3] [0] - https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/ngos-urge-un-human-rights-committee-to-assess-the-republic-of-koreas-immigration-practices-and-policies https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/ngos-urge-un-human-ri... [1] - https://www.newskorea.ne.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=7205 https://www.newskorea.ne.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=7205 [2] - https://www.banmuang.co.th/mobile/news/region/424336 https://www.banmuang.co.th/mobile/news/region/424336 [3] - https://www.bbc.com/thai/articles/ckklk4w9w3po https://www.bbc.com/thai/articles/ckklk4w9w3po
    - emorning4 1y ago
      [dead]
    - yongjik 1y ago
      I'll be first to admit that Koreans aren't great at how we treat our immigrant workers, so if you think that's some kind of gotcha, it really isn't. Yes, the Korean government (regrettably) mistreats workers frequently, but there are domestic organizations inside Korea (such as National Human Rights Commission, which is a part of the government) which frequently point out these issues, and steps are taken to improve situations, though obviously it's not as fast as it should be. I'm not going to talk about morality because I don't think there's a lot to argue about: hopefully we can all agree that immigrant workers have human rights whether they're here legally or not. I'm talking about practicality. What kind of idiot invites a multinational corporation to build a factory in its own hometown, and then arrest workers when they show up to build it? Don't tell me that the law should be fair: there's nothing this US government does that shows any semblance of fairness, so we can count that explanation out. The simple truth is, the US government had a ton of other ways to resolve the visa issue. Hell, they could simply have said "You guys have the wrong visa, get out, you have three days." But they did the most over-the-top, comic-villain stuff to "resolve" this problem, there's nothing "law should be equal" about it, and we're left with one burning question: So does the US want this factory built or not?
- typpilol 1y ago
  Well put. You can't complain about it in your industry and get mad when people do it about theirs...
- yongjik 1y ago
  I can assure you, if OSHA raided Hyundai's plant and even arrested managers for unsafe practices, the majority of Koreans would've been like "Yeah fuck Hyundai, serves them right, go America!" But that's not what happened. And the message seems pretty clear: don't come to the US to work, unless you fancy being treated like a busted drug dealer. You can't do that and then claim it was about workplace safety. Well, I mean, I guess you can, but the factory workers and investors aren't going to believe you.
  - flerchin 1y ago
    Koreans know about work visa rules and immigration status. ADOR reported Hanni as an illegal immigrant when they were having contract disputes with New Jeans due to the whole Min Hee Jin fiasco. I realize that's kinda dense, but you can google it up yourself. Koreans well understand this type of thing.
    - yongjik 1y ago
      Koreans also have the concept of punishment being proportional to offense. You tell Koreans an illegal immigrant worker in Korea was rounded up in chains and stuck in places where they have to take a dump in front of others, at least half of Koreans would say "What the fuck? We are supposed to be better than that!" Now tell them it wasn't just an ordinary illegal immigrant worker, but a group of, let's say, BMW employees from Germany, building a new car factory in (some Korean city), but apparently they had the wrong visa. Koreans would say "Have we completely lost our goddamn mind?"
  - alephnerd 1y ago
    > if OSHA raided Hyundai's plant They have - multiple times, both under Biden and Trump, as the sources I gave have mentioned. Heck, The Guardian in strongly opposed to the Trump admin and pointed this out too. > But that's not what happened That is what happened. The issue was Hyundai would spin up yet another contracting firm when an OSHA incident arose, thus keeping business as usual.
- blargey 1y ago
  Are there US workers who should have been hired to do this factory-bootstrapping instead? Because that’s what the H1B stuff (and most illegal immigrant-worker debate in general) has been about, and otherwise it’s only superficially similar. AFAIK H1Bs follow the letter of the law and calls are for reform to make visas stricter / reduce the kinds of visas, which is basically the opposite of what I’m seeing here.
  - alephnerd 1y ago
    > Are there US workers who should have been hired to do this factory-bootstrapping instead Yes. Of these companies [0], Hyundai-LG has been the only malcontent The European and Japanese manufacturers haven't done anything similar - only the Koreans are. [0] - https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/06/tracking-the-ev-battery-factory-construction-boom-across-north-america/ https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/06/tracking-the-ev-battery-fa...
    - blargey 1y ago
      That link only lists some companies that have built factories (or are trying to), and nothing about how they were built.
      - alephnerd 1y ago
        Not a single one of them have had an immigration raid like Hyundai-LG. It would have been MASSIVE news like the ongoing one if it happened. Hyundai has been notorious about this for decades in the US, like the ongoing child labor scandal [0] [0] - https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-immigration-hyundai/ https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-immi...
dyauspitr 1y ago
Immigrants are our biggest job creators founding >50% of our unicorns. We’re pooping on what makes America great. There’s no logic or reasoning anymore though, just hate.
- givemeethekeys 1y ago
  I was not aware of the Hyundai factory workers immigrating to the US. I thought they were brought by Hyundai temporarily and on the wrong visa to help build that factory faster.
  - notmyjob 1y ago
    Let’s try to keep facts out of this and stick to optics, emotional appeals and whataboutism.
- andyjohnson0 1y ago
  Unfortunately a lot of people in the US voted for this. They want to see people who are "other" treated harshly and cruely. Trump is giving them what they want.
  - more_corn 1y ago
    I’m not sure this is precisely what people voted for.
- ungreased0675 1y ago
  It’s not immigrants, it’s unchecked, undocumented, unvetted immigration that most people (including a majority of immigrants) are opposed to.
  - Starman_Jones 1y ago
    Do you feel that the arrests at the Hyundai plant effectively countered unchecked, unvetted immigration?
  - 1y ago
JCM9 1y ago
Like most Americans I’m pro immigration, but I’m also pro enforcing our laws. The company couldn’t follow the law and got caught. End of story.
- gddgb 1y ago
  [dead]
- grugagag 1y ago
  Im sure there’s an official way to tackle this problem in a less violent manner. Approving of this type of violent operation is a disgraceful and low thing to do.
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
  - qskousen 1y ago
    Yes. But it is possible to agree with the principle and disagree on the specifics.
- techpineapple 1y ago
  Right but got caught doing what - trying to build a manufacturing plant that will bring jobs to Americans? It feels like the real loser here is the Americans who would have had jobs after the plant opened. We’re cutting off our nose to spite our face, because people didn’t fill out the right paperwork.
pupppet 1y ago
What are people in South Korea thinking of this? Can’t imagine seeing citizens of my country getting hauled away in chains.
- cpursley 1y ago
  Probably "if I work in a foreign country I should probably have the proper work visa". Though, I blame management not the workers - I suspect many were not aware. And for the downvoters, try going and working in a foreign country without the proper paperwork and see how it pans out (and how the locals feel about it)...
  - cpursley 1y ago
    Here's an AI overview of working illegally in SK btw: > Working illegally in South Korea can result in deportation, a fine of up to 30 million KRW (approximately US$22,000), and a ban on re-entry for up to five years. Employers who hire illegal foreign workers also face significant penalties, including fines of up to 20 million KRW (around US$15,000) and/or imprisonment.
  - lovich 1y ago
    I bet they’re thinking more “so you blackmailed us into investing in you, and you arrest our people who are there making that investment happen” I cannot honestly believe that you think any group of people on earth would look at this situation and then think that they should have just followed the rules better. The South Korean government is already saying that the US needs to fix its visa program if it wants the investment[1] [1] https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/1218025.html https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_internatio...
    - cpursley 1y ago
      Any rational group of people would look and say "they should follow the local laws". And one that practically all civilized countries have, including SK. And yeah, the visa program is problematic - but that is not a green light for breaking the law.
dotnet00 1y ago
Related thread from a few hours ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45219388 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45219388
jleyank 1y ago
I would think it unrealistic for a country to make a foreign investment of magnitude that doesn’t favour their citizens. The government wont survive long if its people think it’s just giving lots of money to foreigners.
viceconsole 1y ago
Having working in US immigration, most reporting on immigration issues leaves a lot to be desired. Because of the poor reporting, it's not possible to say for sure what happened, but it sounds like Hyundai/LG/subcontractors brought in hundreds of South Koreans on B visas and had them engaging in productive work. That's not what B visas are for. B visas are for meetings, sales, and maybe some light training/setup/integration. When the CEO talks about needing specialized, skilled workers, that's a strong suggestion these workers should have been on L visas. Times reporting confirmed a few of the workers were on B visas: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/business/economy/hyundai-raid-worker-visas.html https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/business/economy/hyundai-... Unfortunately the same article doesn't even mention the L visa, and cites an immigration lawyer who complains about the difficulty of getting H-1B visas. But L visas are not capped like H-1Bs. In India we approved thousands of L visas specifically for skilled workers to assist with bringing plants/equipment online. In short, the B visa is not a work visa. Most countries worldwide are quite restrictive about the conditions surrounding work visas, and people who violate the conditions of their visa shouldn't be surprised when there are consequences. Having a valid visa but violating its conditions means you are violating immigration law. Corporate immigration departments can and do cut corners and may have thought they would save money and time by sending foreign workers on B visas (which they might have already had) or on the visa waiver program. L visa holders don't even have to get paid US-level wages, so one take on the visa type is that it is already a way for companies to undercut US labor.
- notmyjob 1y ago
  Similarly, highly skilled semi-conductor researchers are not h1b. Semi-conductor workers of various sorts might be, though I note they are trying to make a visa specific the semiconductor industry, but high level researchers who design new chips are not restrained to h1b. I was downvoted for noting this fact recently. People don’t want honest discussion on immigration. It’s not a good faith debate, rather lies and disinformation., and the populace knows that by now.
- favflam 1y ago
  So the US government does a dog and pony show of ASMR chaining and perp walking Korean engineers constructing a factory vital to our economy and national security? And this after the admin starts a tariff war against treaty allies for not building factories in the US? Very schizo. This whole situation is complete insanity and is completely the fault of this administration and the maga movement.

61 points by anigbrowl 1y ago

I mean, Hyundai did play it fast and loose with B1/2 visas and the VWP [0] - which are NOT meant to be used for construction. If HN detests H1B abuse by consultancies like TCS, then calling out B1/2 and VWP visa abuse by Korean manufacturing firms should be acceptable as well, otherwise it's just white collar hypocrisy. This factory has had multiple deaths in the past two years due to labor abuse and shoddy safety standards [1][2][3], but kept getting pushed back by political pressure. Given the size of the raid, someone at OSHA most likely gave an "anonymous" tip [4]. 91 ambulance calls were made at this factory site over 20 months [5] - well above the average for similar sites [6]. TSMC attempted something similar when spinning up the Chandler fab, but the Biden admin stuck to their guns and pushed back on TSMC. [0] - https://www.ft.com/content/c677b9aa-2e89-4feb-a56f-f3c8452b3674 https://www.ft.com/content/c677b9aa-2e89-4feb-a56f-f3c8452b3... [1] - https://www.kherkhergarcia.com/fatal-forklift-accident-battery-plant-osha-investigation/ https://www.kherkhergarcia.com/fatal-forklift-accident-batte... [2] - https://labornotes.org/2025/09/georgia-battery-plant-raid-spotlights-hyundais-horrible-labor-practices https://labornotes.org/2025/09/georgia-battery-plant-raid-sp... [3] - https://www.spaglaw.com/blog/2025/05/worker-killed-by-falling-load-at-hl-ga-battery-plant-construction-site-in-georgia/ https://www.spaglaw.com/blog/2025/05/worker-killed-by-fallin... [4] - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/12/immigration-georgia-hyundai-south-korea https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/12/immigration-... [5] - https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/local/2025/03/15/people-suffer-injuries-at-hyundai-plant-in-ellabell/82416535007/ https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/local/2025/03/15/peop... [6] - https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/06/construction-deaths-injuries-at-hyundais-georgia-ev-plant-draw-scrutiny/ https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/06/construction-deaths-injurie...

amanaplanacanal 1y ago
I don't think "HN" detests anything. Some commenters might, though.
emorning4 1y ago
Having masked men with guns and body armor shackle and kidnap workers is not 'calling out visa abuse'.
- alephnerd 1y ago
  The Korean government does the exact same thing as ICE, and continues to ignore the Korean constitutional court's ruling on indefinite detention [0][1][2], and immigrant abuse is even worse in Korea than the US [3] [0] - https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/ngos-urge-un-human-rights-committee-to-assess-the-republic-of-koreas-immigration-practices-and-policies https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/ngos-urge-un-human-ri... [1] - https://www.newskorea.ne.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=7205 https://www.newskorea.ne.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=7205 [2] - https://www.banmuang.co.th/mobile/news/region/424336 https://www.banmuang.co.th/mobile/news/region/424336 [3] - https://www.bbc.com/thai/articles/ckklk4w9w3po https://www.bbc.com/thai/articles/ckklk4w9w3po
  - emorning4 1y ago
    [dead]
  - yongjik 1y ago
    I'll be first to admit that Koreans aren't great at how we treat our immigrant workers, so if you think that's some kind of gotcha, it really isn't. Yes, the Korean government (regrettably) mistreats workers frequently, but there are domestic organizations inside Korea (such as National Human Rights Commission, which is a part of the government) which frequently point out these issues, and steps are taken to improve situations, though obviously it's not as fast as it should be. I'm not going to talk about morality because I don't think there's a lot to argue about: hopefully we can all agree that immigrant workers have human rights whether they're here legally or not. I'm talking about practicality. What kind of idiot invites a multinational corporation to build a factory in its own hometown, and then arrest workers when they show up to build it? Don't tell me that the law should be fair: there's nothing this US government does that shows any semblance of fairness, so we can count that explanation out. The simple truth is, the US government had a ton of other ways to resolve the visa issue. Hell, they could simply have said "You guys have the wrong visa, get out, you have three days." But they did the most over-the-top, comic-villain stuff to "resolve" this problem, there's nothing "law should be equal" about it, and we're left with one burning question: So does the US want this factory built or not?
typpilol 1y ago
Well put. You can't complain about it in your industry and get mad when people do it about theirs...
yongjik 1y ago
I can assure you, if OSHA raided Hyundai's plant and even arrested managers for unsafe practices, the majority of Koreans would've been like "Yeah fuck Hyundai, serves them right, go America!" But that's not what happened. And the message seems pretty clear: don't come to the US to work, unless you fancy being treated like a busted drug dealer. You can't do that and then claim it was about workplace safety. Well, I mean, I guess you can, but the factory workers and investors aren't going to believe you.
- flerchin 1y ago
  Koreans know about work visa rules and immigration status. ADOR reported Hanni as an illegal immigrant when they were having contract disputes with New Jeans due to the whole Min Hee Jin fiasco. I realize that's kinda dense, but you can google it up yourself. Koreans well understand this type of thing.
  - yongjik 1y ago
    Koreans also have the concept of punishment being proportional to offense. You tell Koreans an illegal immigrant worker in Korea was rounded up in chains and stuck in places where they have to take a dump in front of others, at least half of Koreans would say "What the fuck? We are supposed to be better than that!" Now tell them it wasn't just an ordinary illegal immigrant worker, but a group of, let's say, BMW employees from Germany, building a new car factory in (some Korean city), but apparently they had the wrong visa. Koreans would say "Have we completely lost our goddamn mind?"
- alephnerd 1y ago
  > if OSHA raided Hyundai's plant They have - multiple times, both under Biden and Trump, as the sources I gave have mentioned. Heck, The Guardian in strongly opposed to the Trump admin and pointed this out too. > But that's not what happened That is what happened. The issue was Hyundai would spin up yet another contracting firm when an OSHA incident arose, thus keeping business as usual.
blargey 1y ago
Are there US workers who should have been hired to do this factory-bootstrapping instead? Because that’s what the H1B stuff (and most illegal immigrant-worker debate in general) has been about, and otherwise it’s only superficially similar. AFAIK H1Bs follow the letter of the law and calls are for reform to make visas stricter / reduce the kinds of visas, which is basically the opposite of what I’m seeing here.
- alephnerd 1y ago
  > Are there US workers who should have been hired to do this factory-bootstrapping instead Yes. Of these companies [0], Hyundai-LG has been the only malcontent The European and Japanese manufacturers haven't done anything similar - only the Koreans are. [0] - https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/06/tracking-the-ev-battery-factory-construction-boom-across-north-america/ https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/06/tracking-the-ev-battery-fa...
  - blargey 1y ago
    That link only lists some companies that have built factories (or are trying to), and nothing about how they were built.
    - alephnerd 1y ago
      Not a single one of them have had an immigration raid like Hyundai-LG. It would have been MASSIVE news like the ongoing one if it happened. Hyundai has been notorious about this for decades in the US, like the ongoing child labor scandal [0] [0] - https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-immigration-hyundai/ https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-immi...

dyauspitr 1y ago

Immigrants are our biggest job creators founding >50% of our unicorns. We’re pooping on what makes America great. There’s no logic or reasoning anymore though, just hate.

givemeethekeys 1y ago
I was not aware of the Hyundai factory workers immigrating to the US. I thought they were brought by Hyundai temporarily and on the wrong visa to help build that factory faster.
- notmyjob 1y ago
  Let’s try to keep facts out of this and stick to optics, emotional appeals and whataboutism.
andyjohnson0 1y ago
Unfortunately a lot of people in the US voted for this. They want to see people who are "other" treated harshly and cruely. Trump is giving them what they want.
- more_corn 1y ago
  I’m not sure this is precisely what people voted for.
ungreased0675 1y ago
It’s not immigrants, it’s unchecked, undocumented, unvetted immigration that most people (including a majority of immigrants) are opposed to.
- Starman_Jones 1y ago
  Do you feel that the arrests at the Hyundai plant effectively countered unchecked, unvetted immigration?
- 1y ago

JCM9 1y ago

Like most Americans I’m pro immigration, but I’m also pro enforcing our laws. The company couldn’t follow the law and got caught. End of story.

gddgb 1y ago
[dead]
grugagag 1y ago
Im sure there’s an official way to tackle this problem in a less violent manner. Approving of this type of violent operation is a disgraceful and low thing to do.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- qskousen 1y ago
  Yes. But it is possible to agree with the principle and disagree on the specifics.
techpineapple 1y ago
Right but got caught doing what - trying to build a manufacturing plant that will bring jobs to Americans? It feels like the real loser here is the Americans who would have had jobs after the plant opened. We’re cutting off our nose to spite our face, because people didn’t fill out the right paperwork.

pupppet 1y ago

What are people in South Korea thinking of this? Can’t imagine seeing citizens of my country getting hauled away in chains.

cpursley 1y ago
Probably "if I work in a foreign country I should probably have the proper work visa". Though, I blame management not the workers - I suspect many were not aware. And for the downvoters, try going and working in a foreign country without the proper paperwork and see how it pans out (and how the locals feel about it)...
- cpursley 1y ago
  Here's an AI overview of working illegally in SK btw: > Working illegally in South Korea can result in deportation, a fine of up to 30 million KRW (approximately US$22,000), and a ban on re-entry for up to five years. Employers who hire illegal foreign workers also face significant penalties, including fines of up to 20 million KRW (around US$15,000) and/or imprisonment.
- lovich 1y ago
  I bet they’re thinking more “so you blackmailed us into investing in you, and you arrest our people who are there making that investment happen” I cannot honestly believe that you think any group of people on earth would look at this situation and then think that they should have just followed the rules better. The South Korean government is already saying that the US needs to fix its visa program if it wants the investment[1] [1] https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/1218025.html https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_internatio...
  - cpursley 1y ago
    Any rational group of people would look and say "they should follow the local laws". And one that practically all civilized countries have, including SK. And yeah, the visa program is problematic - but that is not a green light for breaking the law.

dotnet00 1y ago

Related thread from a few hours ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45219388 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45219388

jleyank 1y ago

I would think it unrealistic for a country to make a foreign investment of magnitude that doesn’t favour their citizens. The government wont survive long if its people think it’s just giving lots of money to foreigners.

viceconsole 1y ago

Having working in US immigration, most reporting on immigration issues leaves a lot to be desired. Because of the poor reporting, it's not possible to say for sure what happened, but it sounds like Hyundai/LG/subcontractors brought in hundreds of South Koreans on B visas and had them engaging in productive work. That's not what B visas are for. B visas are for meetings, sales, and maybe some light training/setup/integration. When the CEO talks about needing specialized, skilled workers, that's a strong suggestion these workers should have been on L visas. Times reporting confirmed a few of the workers were on B visas: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/business/economy/hyundai-raid-worker-visas.html https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/business/economy/hyundai-... Unfortunately the same article doesn't even mention the L visa, and cites an immigration lawyer who complains about the difficulty of getting H-1B visas. But L visas are not capped like H-1Bs. In India we approved thousands of L visas specifically for skilled workers to assist with bringing plants/equipment online. In short, the B visa is not a work visa. Most countries worldwide are quite restrictive about the conditions surrounding work visas, and people who violate the conditions of their visa shouldn't be surprised when there are consequences. Having a valid visa but violating its conditions means you are violating immigration law. Corporate immigration departments can and do cut corners and may have thought they would save money and time by sending foreign workers on B visas (which they might have already had) or on the visa waiver program. L visa holders don't even have to get paid US-level wages, so one take on the visa type is that it is already a way for companies to undercut US labor.

notmyjob 1y ago
Similarly, highly skilled semi-conductor researchers are not h1b. Semi-conductor workers of various sorts might be, though I note they are trying to make a visa specific the semiconductor industry, but high level researchers who design new chips are not restrained to h1b. I was downvoted for noting this fact recently. People don’t want honest discussion on immigration. It’s not a good faith debate, rather lies and disinformation., and the populace knows that by now.
favflam 1y ago
So the US government does a dog and pony show of ASMR chaining and perp walking Korean engineers constructing a factory vital to our economy and national security? And this after the admin starts a tariff war against treaty allies for not building factories in the US? Very schizo. This whole situation is complete insanity and is completely the fault of this administration and the maga movement.