Attorney: Detained Hyundai Workers Had Short-Term Skills, Legal Visa Plan
Following an immigration raid at a Hyundai factory in Georgia, an attorney representing detained South Korean workers clarified that many were engineers and installers authorized under the B-1 business visitor visa program. These workers were in the U.S. temporarily for specialized tasks related to the electric battery plant, which includes work not typically done by U.S. citizens. The raid, which resulted in the detainment of hundreds of workers, has prompted the South Korean Foreign Minister to seek the return of its citizens and generated shock and confusion. While the U.S. government claims the workers were in the country illegally, experts and advocates are noting the use of foreign workers for specialized skills is common, and that the U.S. would need approximately three to five years to train someone domestically for the same work.
John Q. Hosedrinker