[SilverElfin]

> The lack of something lighter weight than a full working visa for these sorts of things means the USA is closed for business.

What is “these sorts of things” to you? To me building factories and installing equipment on the factory floor is a different class of work that is generally prohibited under the lighter options like ESTA or a B1 visa. Here is what B1 allows as an example:

Consulting with business associates

Traveling for a scientific, educational, professional or business convention, or a conference on specific dates

Settling an estate

Negotiating a contract

Participating in short-term training

Transiting through the United States: certain persons may transit the United States with a B-1 visa

Deadheading: certain air crewmen may enter the United States as deadhead crew with a B-1 visa

[klausa]

Installing equipment, is, in fact, explicitly called out as allowed under B-1 visa by the State Department: https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/BusinessVisa%20Pu...

[AnotherGoodName]

If you trust ice it was a flagrant violation. If you don’t trust ice there’s a possibility these were engineers and management doing consultation and training as allowed but were caught up in minor technicalities of new overly strict interpretations of what counts as work.

I think many non-US residents observing this would be on the side of not trusting ice and are now less willing to travel to the USA for a work trip on a visa waiver.

[adrian_b]

The Koreans had B1 visas.

It is claimed that their work has exceeded the limits of B1.