Steven Schrank, a special agent in charge of Homeland Security investigations in Georgia and Alabama, said at a Sept. 5 press conference that the arrested workers crossed the U.S. border illegally, violated or overstayed their visas, or had entered the United States under a visa waiver program that prohibited them from working.
Immigration lawyer Charles Kuck told PolitiFact he is representing 12 of the detained people, some of whom are Korean. He said some of his clients entered the United States using either a business visa or the visa waiver program that South Korea participates in. These programs allow people to legally enter the country for a limited time and perform specific business activities. But people can’t work or be paid by U.S. companies while under these immigration statuses.
South Korean leaders, including President Lee Jae Myung, have denounced the raid, calling it “unjust infringements on the activities of our people and businesses.”
Which is a shitty excuse for not having the correct visa. If the US.government won’t issue visas don’t come.
Hyundai deliberatly endangered the.welfare of their employees by having them break the law. Getting away.with it for a few years by nudge nudge wink wink looking the other way is also pathetic.
So.lets see what Soith Korea’s stance is about working in South Korea on the wrong visa ?
No matter which way you want to spin this narrative:
American ICE agents put Korean citizens in handcuffs and ankle restraints
multiple people were detained in a single cell, and denied Miranda rights and consular access
the Korean government is taking this seriously
multiple billions of investment and lots of jobs were/are on the line.
talk is in the wind to relocate this investment (and hence the jobs) either to Mexico or Canada
Overstaying a visa in Korea would absolutely not land you the same treatment, but go ahead with your whataboutism. You keep digging that hole 'Mericaints. Eventually you’ll make it to Korea.
Hyundai deliberatly endangered the.welfare of their employees
Any company sending employees to the SHITHOLE COUNTRY that is the USA is obviously endangering them.
The visas did not allow employment, but were valid for work-related travel. As they were employees of a foreign company here on behalf of the foreign company the visas were valid for that purpose. ICE changed the meaning of those visas after the fact to save face and justify their illegal raid and detentions.
A few did, the rest did not. ICEs theatrics aside.
https://www.politifact.com/article/2025/sep/10/south-korea-work-visa-immigration-raid-hyundai-ICE/
Which is a shitty excuse for not having the correct visa. If the US.government won’t issue visas don’t come.
Hyundai deliberatly endangered the.welfare of their employees by having them break the law. Getting away.with it for a few years by nudge nudge wink wink looking the other way is also pathetic.
So.lets see what Soith Korea’s stance is about working in South Korea on the wrong visa ?
They invested in this to avoid the Trump tariffs so really a complete own goal from the USA.
No matter which way you want to spin this narrative:
Overstaying a visa in Korea would absolutely not land you the same treatment, but go ahead with your whataboutism. You keep digging that hole 'Mericaints. Eventually you’ll make it to Korea.
Any company sending employees to the SHITHOLE COUNTRY that is the USA is obviously endangering them.
Fucking QED.
Canada would likely welcome this investment, but it will be tricky to choose a site given all our Flatlanders are demented from not seeing Ocean.
So, pick a region with a shoreline, and hope that’s enough.
The visas did not allow employment, but were valid for work-related travel. As they were employees of a foreign company here on behalf of the foreign company the visas were valid for that purpose. ICE changed the meaning of those visas after the fact to save face and justify their illegal raid and detentions.
Many were here under esta which allows travel and meetings, but not labor.
Did any worker build the site or only oversee stuff?