Two South Bay executives who temporarily escaped prosecution over alleged H-1B visa fraud are back in the hot seat again, after an appeals court reversed a lower-court ruling that tossed out their indictment.

A skirmish erupted recently between tech titan Elon Musk and far-right activist Laura Loomer over a program for skilled foreign workers.

As the tech industry boomed, demand for visas intended for highly skilled workers has far outstripped their availability.

Created in 1990 and intended for skilled foreign workers, the visa had until recently remained little known outside Silicon Valley, where technology companies use it to employ tens of thousands.