Trump is telling foreign companies to obey migration laws and suggesting he may adjust the ules to help foreign companies in the U.S.
President Donald Trump is telling foreign companies to obey U.S. migration laws while also suggesting he may adjust border rules to help law-abiding foreign companies quickly set up operations in the United States.
“I am hereby calling on all Foreign Companies investing in the United States to please respect our Nation’s Immigration Laws,” Trump said via his TruthSocial site.
“We encourage you to LEGALLY bring your very smart people, with great technical talent, to build World Class products, and we will make it quickly and legally possible for you to do so,” said.
The statement comes as nationals in South Korea declared their outrage that U.S. officials detained roughly 300 South Korean workers who were helping to build a car-battery factory in Georgia. These illegal workers are all facing deportation.
Two Korean companies — Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution Ltd. — had quietly and illegally imported hundreds of Korean workers to build the taxpayer-funded factory.
Current visa rules allow companies to get L-1 visas for their foreign employees to help set up factories and production lines in the United States. However, the Korean companies reportedly used B-1/B-2 visitor visas or special waivers for visitors, which do not allow the travelers to work in jobs.
Trump is zig-zagging amid the competing pressure from voters and outspoken employers. “We should help them along, and let some people come in to train our people to do complex things, whether it’s battery, computer manufacturing, building chips,” Trump told reporters. “We’re gonna look at that whole situation.”
The companies also used hundreds of South American migrants to help build the factory, which is slated to get $2 billion in tax breaks. The illegal hiring was conducted via staffing companies to shield the Korean companies from prosecution.
