Released detained Korean workers. Yonhap News.

Experts assess that fundamental improvements to the U.S. immigration system are necessary to prevent a recurrence of the detention of Korean workers from companies investing in the U.S., but this will be difficult due to stark differences in views on immigration issues within the U.S. and divisions in Congress.

Allan Orr, an American immigration lawyer, stated at a policy briefing hosted by the Korea-U.S. Congressmen Exchange Center (KIPEC) in Washington D.C. on the 24th (local time) that "no immigration reform has been achieved in the U.S. for the past 30 years," and predicted that the possibility of U.S. congressional approval for immigration system improvements, such as the bill for a Korea-specific professional visa being promoted by the South Korean government, is slim.

Orr, a former president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), pointed out the current reality where the U.S. Congress cannot even process budget bills, let alone immigration laws, and predicted, "Therefore, solutions will not emerge in the short term."

Regarding the confirmation through visa working group consultations that the B-1 visa or the visa-waiver Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) can be utilized for activities accompanying investments by Korean companies in the U.S., he evaluated it as "an important measure, but a diplomatic one."

He pointed out that "it is not a legislative solution, nor does it resolve future problems," and stated, "Only Congress can resolve this issue."

He predicted that Trump administration officials, such as Stephen Miller, Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, have a "zero-sum" mentality that foreign workers take away American jobs, stating, "As long as that narrative continues, these problems will not be resolved."

Earlier in September, U.S. immigration authorities conducted a large-scale crackdown on a battery plant under construction in Georgia by Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution, detaining over 300 Korean workers. The workers were released seven days after their detention following negotiations between the governments.

Park Jeong-woo, head of the Washington branch of the Korea International Trade Association, assessed that the clash between a vision that opposes foreign labor and a vision that aims to rebuild American manufacturing by attracting foreign investment led to the crackdown at the Georgia plant.

Park emphasized that improving the visa system for technicians who enable Korean companies to invest in the U.S. is "not an immigration issue, but a supply chain issue," and that "(the U.S.) must separate politics from policy."

He urged the U.S. government to operate its immigration system flexibly, at least for "reliable allies such as South Korea, Japan, and Germany."

Panelists speak at a policy briefing on U.S. immigration policy and investment in the U.S., hosted by the Korea-U.S. Congressmen Exchange Center (KIPEC) in Washington D.C. on the 24th (local time). Yonhap News.

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