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Hundreds of Indian workers exploited for labor following Katrina demand justice
The vast rebuilding effort in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina led the US government to permit recruitment of foreign laborers who were accorded "guest worker" status for the duration of their employment but apparently not the same rights and protection that domestic workers are guaranteed under US labor laws. Lacking safeguards, the foreign workers are ripe targets for exploitation and abuse by contractors.
Some 500 Indian workers caught in what they claim is a human trafficking racket have asked the Indian government to protect their families in India from vengeful recruiters even as they filed a class action anti-racketeering lawsuit in the US against their American employer.
Additionally, hundreds of Indian workers will return to DC next week to launch an indefinite hunger strike to demand the federal government investigate the guest worker program and abuse of post-Katrina Gulf Coast workers.
In late 2006, the workers mortgaged their futures – and $20,000 – on false promises of fortune and green cards by recruiters from marine construction company Signal International. But when the workers arrived in the US to work on post-Katrina reconstruction, they only received guestworker visas and were forced to pay Signal $1,050 a month to live in a trailer with 23 other workers.
The hunger strike will specifically call on the Department of Justice to prosecute Signal International and for Congress to hold hearings on the guest worker program in the post-Katrina Gulf Coast. The vast rebuilding effort in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina led the US government to permit recruitment of foreign laborers ... more -
Visa issues keep Cuban defect White Sox player Alexei Ramirez from playing against...
Ramirez holds a work visa that prevents him from re-entering the United States if he leaves the country. It was an issue the White Sox had been working on since Spring Training, but were not able to resolve in time for Chicago's series in Toronto.
"We could have used him," said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. "But immigration is tough everywhere. The immigration situation is not just tough here, but everywhere you go, you're going to go through a lot of difficulty."
Ramirez will spend the weekend in Chicago, where he will work out and take batting practice. He will then rejoin the team on Tuesday for a home series against Minnesota.
The Cuban defect off of the National Team that finished 2nd in the WBC was one of the White Sox prized prospects. Ramirez holds a work visa that prevents him from re-entering the United States if he leaves the country. It was an issue the White Sox... more -
No Iraqis Allowed
The repercussions of the Iraq war have gone farther than what you see in the news. With bloodshed and fear reigning supreme, the educated youth of Iraq see no future. As they try to find work in neighboring countries, more and more doors are closing. Iraqis are banned from entering Saudi Arabia and Qatar and now the United Arab Emirates -- a country that is developing thanks to its overwhelming expatriate community -- is following suit. Many educated Iraqis are being denied residency status/visas without explanation. This is the story of my cousin Ahmed and other youth who are stuck between Iraq and a hard place in Oman, where Iraqis who were working in Dubai are stranded.
Video by: Hala Alsalman
Music by: Omar Offendum (www.thenomads.biz) The repercussions of the Iraq war have gone farther than what you see in the news. With bloodshed and fear reigning supreme, the educa... more
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