I am one of the victims of the illegal recruitment/labor and human trafficking activities committed by the Placewell International Services Corporation; a Philippine based recruitment agency represented by, with its principal sponsor, the Delivering Human Innovation (DHI), represented by its owner Dianne Holloway. I came to the US on October 10, 2007 through the petition of Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort (SCMR) in Phoenix. I hold an H2B visa issued on September 20, 2007, valid until June 30, 2008. I paid exorbitant fees of around $2800 for my deployment. This amount served as payment for my visa processing fees to obtain an H-2B visa to work in the US. In my desire to get out of economic hardship in the Philippines, my husband …show more content…
The bulk of my salary went to housing with almost nothing left for my family. We were made to pay rent for these accommodations when we were promised free housing and transportation before we left for the US. I felt that the housing rental is a money making scheme of the company to extract profit from our hard labor.
Aside from housekeeping work, I was also asked to do several jobs that were not part of my contract. I used to do laundry and cleaning the restaurant and offices in the hotel. I was made to drive golf carts to transport linens to other villas. We worked fewer hours and earned so little not even enough to support our daily survival. They also collected rollover fees every time our visas are renewed aside from shouldering our own relocation fees. I worked very hard but my salary I received sometimes was not enough even for my own survival. My loans remained unpaid, and my family lives in misery because of financial
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I was forced to move from one employer to another and took several survival jobs in order to earn a living, pay my huge debts and support my family. Being ignorant of immigration laws and US policies, employers took advantage of my cheap labor because I do not have legal papers. Being undocumented, I cannot complain or negotiate for better benefits on my job as I am at the mercy of my employers. I have no choice but to endure this situation. I badly need to survive and took whatever employment is
For immigrants who arrive without documentation, the fear of deportation can prevent them from seeking help. For example, even though millions of children of undocumented immigrants are eligible for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, most families are afraid to register. If you do not have papers, seek out clinics and resources that care for all persons. Latino-based organizations often provide services regardless of legal
I had just graduated high school and I wasn’t too interested in going to college. My plan was to enlist into the armed forces after high school, but I took things slow and decided I wanted to make a few bucks first. I had applied for Wal-Mart in late May and very much wanted the job. I called frequently to check on the status of my application and eventually they called me in for an interview. The interview itself took around three hours and I didn’t go home until about two in the morning. On June 10th, I got a call from Wal-Mart asking if there was any way possible I could go in the next day for training; I had been hired at Wal-Mart. Training was a fun experience with very fun and amazing people. I got paid 9.50 an hour, while I was in training as an overnight stocker; though my training took place in the day time. I thought that this was going to be and easy job. I have never been so wrong in my life.
Illegal immigration has been a problem that has plagued the United States for many years. This problem is not new to the country because thousands of immigrants have crossed over the oceans and Mexican border since our country was founded. The underlying problem is the lack of assimilation to the American ways of life and the acceptance of existing rules and laws. With the already fragile economy and the largely growing unemployment rate Americans must make every effort to close its borders to undocumented workers to ease the strain and retain any available jobs for unemployed Americans and legal workers. Aviva Chomsky writes “immigration plays a much more complex role in the employment picture, and many different factors affecting employment and unemployment.”(4). Chomsky so on to say, “it indeed seems to be the case that immigrants and low-skilled citizens are competing for the same jobs”(11). Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants enter the country and start working either under illegal names or take agricultural jobs in which they are paid under the table. Chomsky solidifies this fact when she say “some immigrants work in the informal economy, and are paid under the table in-cash, so they don’t have federal and state income taxes, or social security taxes, deducted from their paychecks”(36).Which a lot of employers are catching on to because on doing this they don’t have to pay taxes and can turn more of a profit This also hurts the country’s economy because no one is paying their taxes and so there is no money flowing to pull the country out of the current recession. This burden indefinitely falls on the shoulders of the rest of the legal citizens of America who are inevitable paying the way for this one sided labor for...
Out of the 11 million illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States, 8 million of them are currently working. Employers in America who want inexpensive workers, hire illegal immigrants and pay them under the table. Since the system does not have an efficient way of identifying and penalizing these employers, this has been an ongoing dilemma. As a result, the American economy suffers because illegal immigrants are not paying taxes like the rest of the legal citizens. Americans who are citizens consequently have difficulties finding jobs because employers would rather pay under the table so they can make higher profits. In my perspective, the employers are at fault here if they knowingly hire workers who are not eligible to work here. However, if the employer did not know about an immigrant’s illegal status than the immigrant is at fault for cheating the system. These are just some of the current issues related to illegal immigration t...
In 1998, the U.S. government estimated that between 45,000 and 50,000 people were trafficked into the United States annually (U.S. Department of Justice, 2004). Surprisingly, it was not public opinion or human rights groups but big business concerns about labor competition that prompted the awareness of human trafficking in this country (Bales, 2004). Competition and the notion that employers with trafficked employees could complete the work at a fraction of the cost pressed the capitalist system of the United States to begin efforts to eliminate human trafficking. By 2003, the U.S. Department of Justice estimated that between 18,000 and 20,000 individuals were trafficked into the United States (Anderson & Andrijasevic, 2008). After Secretary of State Colin Powell announced that monies acquired through human trafficking were used to support the 9/11 hijackers while they lived in this country, public opinion and government efforts began to ac-knowledge the phenomenon. Legislative and police efforts were initiated to recognize human trafficking as not only a humanitarian interest but also an issue of national security. The 2000 Trafficking Victims Protection Act (here-after TVPA) established the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, in Washington, DC. In February 2002, President Bush signed an
Most immigrants usually fill essential service jobs in the economy, which are vacant. Unfortunately, like new immigrants throughout U.S. history, “they experience conditions that are commonly deprived, oppressive, and exploitive” (Conover, 2000). They are paid low wages with little potential for advancement, are subjected to hazardous working conditions, and are threatened with losing their jobs and even deportation if they voice dissatisfaction with the way they are treated. Many work several jobs to make ends meet. Many also live in substandard housing with abusive landlords, have few health cares options, and are victims of fraud and other crimes.
There are over twelve million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Many came to America to work, go to school, or be reunited with family members who are already residing here. Most migrants want to work and pursue the “American dream”. There are many barriers for residents to achieving success at the work and life balance. The immigrants fall back on public assistance to support them.
As people immigrated to the United States, legally and illegally, particularly Hispanic workers, they began to look for jobs to provide for their families. They took jobs that Americans did not want: they accepted the low-paying, physically-demanding, and temporal agriculture jobs. Since many did not speak English and were uneducated, some even illiterate, they were easy targets for farm owners to exploit. Immigrant workers were often not paid, had low wages, and because of such conditions, some even died. In addition, they also lived and worked in appalling conditions, some workplaces did not even have suitab...
Just shortly after moving out, my parents received a letter that our family was finally accepted back to Canada. After six years of waiting, paying and filling out paperwork that David and my parents spent doing day and night, they finally achieved their goal. The time spent on it was long hours for several months and the money behind it was outstanding and David explained to me, “Over the course of 5 and a half years, the family spent approximately $50,000. This includes travelling fees, medical fees, processing fees, representative fees etc.” which number still seemed too low from what I remembered so then I asked my mom and dad, “It costed our family 150,000 dollars since day one to accomplish the journey back to Canada” they explained with an upsetting yet settle tone. Not only money was a lot to give up, but also the time and patience as well. “It took five and a half years. There were times that were extremely busy, when Immigration Canada would request a new document or a new action to be completed and they had very strict deadlines. There were also times when it felt like nothing was happening. Processing times can be very long at times. Countless hours of work went into making all of the events a reality.” Explained my brother in the
Farrell, A., and S. Fahy. "The problem of human trafficking in the U.S.: Public frames and policy responses. " Journal of Criminal Justice 37.6 (2009): 617. Criminal Justice Periodicals, ProQuest. Web. 3 Aug. 2010.
I came to United State on November 01, 1991 as an immigrant. With the help of the sponsor, I had...
The issue that I am exploring is the legal challenges that the displaced agricultural migratory labor community is facing with legal residency in the United States; such as the ability to access state and federal benefits and the challenges and strengths local communities face from the impact on this migratory community. I have been working with the displaced agricultural migratory labor community on the East coast for the past 8 years. I have found a passion for this community through the interaction I have had with thousands of individuals from all around North and South America. For 6 years I managed a blueberry farm with one thousand acres of blueberry field. During this time, I was responsible for recruitment, hiring, feeding, lodging,
As an immigrant, life in a new country brings many issue as a family adjusts to changes. One of the main issues my family has dealt with is financial issues. My mother came to this country after her divorce with my father four years before my siblings in order to have a home and stability for our arrival. She worked three jobs: house cleaner, dish washer at a restaurant, and taxi driver at night. When I came to this country in 2005, my mom had bought a small house in a good school area and she had gotten married. While we didn’t have plenty, we had enough and each other. Problem arose when my mom’s husband then took to drinking and became an unbearable alcoholic. In 2012 after many trials in their marriage, they divorced. Although my mom never
In hindsight, many people have no clue and don’t have the slightest idea that human trafficking is even occurring in the entire world, let alone the United States. It is a shame and a shock that this happens right beneath our noses. Even when we are conscientious about human trafficking, we neglect and ignore it. We try to bypass the thought of this huge crime happening in our own country and fail to realize that it happens everyday. Human trafficking is a serious crime that many people are unaware of; it secretly takes place in the United States; it secretly ruins many lives; it secretly goes by to be never discovered or punished by government officials.
I was desperate to find a way to bring my family or at least my daughter here to the US. I am not sure how I came about consulting with a lawyer to find out whether a separation of a mother from her child can be considered a “humanitarian reason” --- Notes: “United States will not reissue visas, nor will they issue new visas, except for compelling and proven humanitarian reasons or where the national interest of our own country requires”. I found an immigration lawyer in Saint Louis and made an appointment.