https://news.gallup.com/poll/692522/surge-concern-immigratio...
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/10/trump-ice-big-beautiful-bil...
https://ygo-assets-websites-editorial-emea.yougov.net/docume...
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)...
> 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.
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_internatio...
This wasn’t in a vacuum done solely for Hyundais profit. The government that did this raid is currently threatening every other country that doesn’t invest in the US _now_ with tariffs and sanctions.
I’m actually trying to understand your point here because what you’re describing to me seems as crazy as a seeing a mugger be pissed that the muggee wasn’t polite enough during the encounter
Some of the workers were on tourist visas.
It's very disappointing. I just bought an Ioniq 9 and it's a great car. I'm really bothered, at both sides, (US and Hundai/LG), for letting the situation get like this.
Which one would that be in this case?
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/sep/12/s...
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-...
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.
alephnerd•1h ago
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-f3c8452b3...
[1] - https://www.kherkhergarcia.com/fatal-forklift-accident-batte...
[2] - https://labornotes.org/2025/09/georgia-battery-plant-raid-sp...
[3] - https://www.spaglaw.com/blog/2025/05/worker-killed-by-fallin...
[4] - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/12/immigration-...
[5] - https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/local/2025/03/15/peop...
[6] - https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/06/construction-deaths-injurie...
amanaplanacanal•1h ago
emorning4•1h ago
typpilol•1h ago
You can't complain about it in your industry and get mad when people do it about theirs...
yongjik•1h ago
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•59m ago
I realize that's kinda dense, but you can google it up yourself. Koreans well understand this type of thing.
yongjik•49m ago
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•28m ago
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.
blargey•11m ago
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•3m ago
Yes. Of these companies [0], Hyundai-LG has been the only malcontent
[0] - https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/06/tracking-the-ev-battery-fa...