More Than 500 Indians Abused by Human Trafficking, Lawyer Says

In October 2006, Signal allegedly started bringing in more than 500 Indian guest workers this way, employing them as pipe fitters, welders and ship fitters.

The men had to eat in company cafeterias and pay more than $1,000 a month to live in company man camps – trailers with beds stacked inside them, and one or two bathrooms to be shared between 20 to 24 men. The camps were fenced and segregated from other Signal employees, and the men were told that the money for the camps would be taken out of their pay whether they chose to live there or not, Landers said.

If workers complained they were told their H-2B visas would not be renewed by the company. That pretty much tied their hands because Signal was the company that got the H-2B visas. An H-2B visa keeps the worker tethered to the company that procures the visa so finding another visa would be a challenge, to say the least.

Source: Houston Press

MCDONALD’S MUST PAY!

Jorge Rios is a student guestworker from Argentina. He paid $3,000 to come to the U.S. on the State Department’s J-1 visa program, expecting a cultural exchange and decent work that would let him earn his money back.

Instead, he and his fellow student guestworkers from Latin America and Asia became exploited workers at McDonald’s restaurants in PA.

They faced threats, stolen wages, grease burns up and down their arms. Their employer Andy Cheung charged them $300 a month to live in basements of houses he owned, packed eight to a room, sleeping on bunkbeds built for children.

“We were only used to enrich our employer,” Jorge said. “One manager told me, ‘You better remember, all we have to do is make one phone call and we can deport you back to your country at any time.’”

But Jose and the other McDonald’s guestworkers joined the NGA and fought back.

WATCH the video of how the students took action.

Then SIGN and SHARE their petition to McDonald’s to end labor abuse.

“We believe America is a beautiful country, where everyone can have respect and fair treatment at work,” Jorge said. “We decided to stand up for ourselves, for other J-1 student guestworkers, and for U.S. workers.”

Canada Stripping Visas for Foreign Strippers

What’s this debate over Canada’s move to ban foreign strippers, escorts and massage-parlor workers really about? On one side, you have the Adult Entertainment Association, which is upset that the government is stripping away a pool of potential moneymaking workers, whereas on the other side, you have the government, which is saying that cutting back on human trafficking and exploitation is at the heart of the decision.

The Conservative Party government’s Immigration Minister, Jason Kenney, announced that starting next month, Canada will no longer renew visas for foreigners working as strippers. Already the government has cut back on how many new visas it grants, down to just 12 in 2011. But it had been continuing to renew previous visas. Not anymore.

Source: TIME

Visa fraud allegations hide child trafficking fears

HAYDEN COOPER, REPORTER: In the teeming, dusty streets of Islamabad, most Pakistanis scratch out a difficult existence. It’s a world away from life in Australia, so the dream of migration keeps Australian officials busy, processing a constant flow of visa applications.

FORMER VISA OFFICER, AUST. HIGH COMMISSION, ISLAMABAD: Every single day, five days a week from eight in the morning until five at night, it was – and often with overtime. It was hard work.

HAYDEN COOPER: This former Immigration Department employee wants to remain anonymous. She worked at the Australian High Commission in Islamabad. Her job was to process visa claims and now she’s speaking out to reveal the extent of visa fraud in the region.

How widespread is this as a problem for Immigration officials?

FORMER VISA OFFICER: Very widespread. It came into my office on a daily basis.

HAYDEN COOPER: One of the most common complaints is of Pakistanis who claim to be Afghans. The method is simple: buy identification documents at the local Afghan consulate in Pakistan, then apply for a visa in Australia.

Source: ABC

Protecting Guest Workers in the United States

Consider these other cases of guestworker exploitation in the United States. In April this year, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a suit against the company Global Horizons for exploiting 400 Thai farmworkers working in Hawaii and Washington State. A company called Signal exploited more than 500 guest workers from India in shipyards after Hurricane Katrina. The Southern Poverty Law Center made history in December when it successfully brought a class-action human trafficking lawsuit on behalf of 350 Filipina teachers in Louisiana who came there with H1-B visas. It’s the first time the Trafficking Victims Protection Act has been used to protect a group rather than an individual. In this case, the trial next July will center on the allegations that the teachers were brought to the United States by labor contractors who extorted huge fees and confiscated their passports, effectively subjecting the teachers to forced labor.Workers’ rights advocates, alongside anti-human trafficking advocates, have been urging the U.S. government to thoroughly review visa programs that depend on foreign labor contractors in order to minimize the vulnerability of workers to human trafficking and exploitation. Various drafts of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, notably the House version of the bill considered in 2008, have included extensive proposals for such regulations and remedies for victims, yet the U.S. government continues to fail in implementing serious protective reform. While some contend that our economy depends on cheap foreign labor, no one would argue that our economy requires the severe wage exploitation, fraudulent contracts, restriction of movement and the (sometimes violent) retaliation after complaints that we have seen repeatedly with these visa programs.It’s long past time for the federal government to make meaningful changes to protect guest workers.

(Tiffany Williams for Huffington Post)
Protecting Guest Workers in the United States

Victims of Human Trafficking: T Nonimmigrant Status

Background In October 2000, Congress created the “T” nonimmigrant status by passing the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (VTVPA). The legislation strengthens the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute human trafficking, and also offer protection to victims. Human trafficking, also known as trafficking in persons, is a form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers lure individuals with false promises of employment and a better life. Traffickers often take advantage of poor, unemployed individuals who lack access to social services. The T Nonimmigrant Status (T visa) is a set aside for those who are or have been victims of human trafficking, protects victims of human trafficking and allows victims to remain in the United States to assist in an investigation or prosecution of human trafficking.T Nonimmigrant EligibilityYou may be eligible for a T visa if you:Are or were a victim of trafficking, as defined by lawAre in the United States, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or at a port of entry due to trafficking·Comply with any reasonable request from a law enforcement agency for assistance in the investigation or prosecution of human trafficking (or you are under the age of 18, or you are unable to cooperate due to physical or psychological trauma)Demonstrate that you would suffer extreme hardship involving unusual and severe harm if you were removed from the United StatesAre admissible to the United States. If not admissible, you may apply for a waiver on a Form I-192, Application for Advance Permission to Enter as a Non-ImmigrantApplying for T Nonimmigrant StatusTo apply for a T visa, submit:Form I-914, Application for T Nonimmigrant StatusThree passport size photographsA personal statement explaining how you were a victim of trafficking (on the Form I-914)Evidence to show you the meet eligibility requirementsNote: You are strongly encouraged to submit Form I-914, Supplement B, Declaration of Law Enforcement Officer for Victim of Trafficking in Persons, to show law enforcement agency support.  Form I-914, Supplement B serves as primary evidence that you are a victim of trafficking and that you have complied with reasonable requests from law enforcement.For more information for the T visa forms visit our Forms sectionFiling for Qualifying Family MembersCertain qualifying family members are eligible for a derivative T visa. If you are….Then…Under 21 years of ageYou may apply on behalf of your spouse, children, parents and unmarried siblings under age 18.21 years of age or olderYou may apply on behalf of your spouse and children.To apply for a qualified family member, you must file a Form I-914, Supplement A, Application for Immediate Family Member of T-1 Recipient, at the same time as your application or at a later time. To apply for permanent residency (a green card) for yourself or a qualifying family member, see the Green Card for a T Nonimmigrant page.

(U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services)
Victims of Human Trafficking: T Nonimmigrant Status

The U.S. government offers roughly 5,000 visas a year to illegal immigrants who agree to testify against the traffickers who brought them to this country and then forced them into prostitution or other servitude. But in the first eight months of this year, only 524 victims applied for the visas and less than half were issued. Federal prosecutors and officials say they want to raise awareness about predatory human traffickers and put them in prison. U.S. Citizens and Immigration Services officials are conducting a national tour, speaking to immigrant advocates and law enforcement officials about the visa program. “Someone who came illegally and knew they were coming illegally might think they have no redress, and they are mistaken,” immigration services Director Alejandro Mayorca told The Associated Press. Just because someone agreed to be smuggled into the country doesn’t mean they should be victimized, he said. (LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ for AP via Miami Herald)

Officials seek out more human trafficking victims