ID :
9880
Thu, 06/12/2008 - 18:42
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http://m.oananews.org//node/9880
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Indians in US end hunger strike, officials to meet them
Washington, June 12 (PTI) - Indian workers who have accused
a US company and its recruiters of human trafficking ended their 29-day hunger strike here on Thursday with a rally outside the US Justice Department which said it will meet them next week.
Over 50 of the over 100 workers, who walked away from their jobs at a Mississippi oil rig company in March this year and now face deportation, chanted slogans and held up enlarged checks they allegedly wrote out to recruiters on a false promise of permanent residency.
The workers claimed that they had received support from several lawmakers including Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich who long with 17 of his colleagues sent a letter to the Department of Justice urging legal protections for the workers while it investigates their case.
Justice Department spokeswoman Jamie Hais said the civil rights office will meet workers' representatives next week and officials will reply to the letter.
"Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act because we recognised that modern day slavery exists and that workers trafficked into the United States should be able to place their faith in the United States justice system," Kucinich said at the rally.
"Today, we must make sure we don't betray their faith in us," he said.
The guest workers claim that about 500 of them were duped into coming to the US under the H2B visa to work for Signal International, a marine and fabrication company in Mississippi but were forced to live under inhuman conditions, a charged denied by the company.
The workers, who were camping outside the Indian Embassy, are demanding that they be allowed to stay in the country till the Department investigates their claims, the companies involved be barred from visa programmes and that the US and the Indian governments discuss the issue.
Organisers said other rallies and meetings with elected officials were also being held in 10 cities amid calls to reform the US guest worker programs.
"After 29 days, we are suspending a hunger strike that has brought us more power than any group of H2B guest workers in the United States has ever had," said Sabulal Vijayan, an organiser with the Indian Workers' Congress.
"But our victory today is not yet complete," he added.
"We live in constant terror of deportation. We cannot work. We cannot see our families. We cannot provide for our families. We are listening to our children grow up over long distance phone calls. Because of the DOJ's inaction, our lives are in limbo," Vijayan said.
Saket Soni, workers' advocate said the Department of Justice, like the Indian government, has "remained cold".
Labour Secretary Elaine Chao said that her department is aware
of the Indian workers' situation.
"It is response to cases like this that we have asked the department of Homeland Security, which had the responsibility to enforce H-2B vis, to let us handle that...we're very familiar with this kind of enforcemenet...we hope that will be happening soon," she said.
The US administration is now rewriting regulations for H2B workers that would shift its enforcement from Homeland Security to Labour department, where officials say they could monitor housing and safety regulations.
Tamil Nadu MP S.K. Kharventhan of the Congress party, meanwhile, pledged his support to the workers.
"This issue needs to be taken up as an international crime in India. Meeting with you personally has opened my eyes to the seriousness of the problem and the fact that the Indian government should help you bring the traffickers to justice," he said.
With support from law firms and advocacy groups, the Indians have filed a federal lawsuit in Louisiana against Signal and several recruiting agents, under a federal law that prohibits human trafficking.
The Justice Department is also conducting a criminal civil rights investigation of the company.
"These workers came to help rebuild the Gulf, and on arrival their nightmare began," lawmaker Dennis J. Kucinich said at the protest.
"We recognise that modern-day slavery exists, but the U.S. Congress has passed laws that protect the victims. We have faith in the U.S. system of justice, and we believe these workers should place their faith in the U.S. system of justice, too."
Signal is suing Beaumont, Mississippi-based Global Resources and other recruiters of workers from India. In the lawsuit filed last month in Louisiana, the company claims it was unaware of the alleged green card promises the recruiters made to workers before their arrival.
a US company and its recruiters of human trafficking ended their 29-day hunger strike here on Thursday with a rally outside the US Justice Department which said it will meet them next week.
Over 50 of the over 100 workers, who walked away from their jobs at a Mississippi oil rig company in March this year and now face deportation, chanted slogans and held up enlarged checks they allegedly wrote out to recruiters on a false promise of permanent residency.
The workers claimed that they had received support from several lawmakers including Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich who long with 17 of his colleagues sent a letter to the Department of Justice urging legal protections for the workers while it investigates their case.
Justice Department spokeswoman Jamie Hais said the civil rights office will meet workers' representatives next week and officials will reply to the letter.
"Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act because we recognised that modern day slavery exists and that workers trafficked into the United States should be able to place their faith in the United States justice system," Kucinich said at the rally.
"Today, we must make sure we don't betray their faith in us," he said.
The guest workers claim that about 500 of them were duped into coming to the US under the H2B visa to work for Signal International, a marine and fabrication company in Mississippi but were forced to live under inhuman conditions, a charged denied by the company.
The workers, who were camping outside the Indian Embassy, are demanding that they be allowed to stay in the country till the Department investigates their claims, the companies involved be barred from visa programmes and that the US and the Indian governments discuss the issue.
Organisers said other rallies and meetings with elected officials were also being held in 10 cities amid calls to reform the US guest worker programs.
"After 29 days, we are suspending a hunger strike that has brought us more power than any group of H2B guest workers in the United States has ever had," said Sabulal Vijayan, an organiser with the Indian Workers' Congress.
"But our victory today is not yet complete," he added.
"We live in constant terror of deportation. We cannot work. We cannot see our families. We cannot provide for our families. We are listening to our children grow up over long distance phone calls. Because of the DOJ's inaction, our lives are in limbo," Vijayan said.
Saket Soni, workers' advocate said the Department of Justice, like the Indian government, has "remained cold".
Labour Secretary Elaine Chao said that her department is aware
of the Indian workers' situation.
"It is response to cases like this that we have asked the department of Homeland Security, which had the responsibility to enforce H-2B vis, to let us handle that...we're very familiar with this kind of enforcemenet...we hope that will be happening soon," she said.
The US administration is now rewriting regulations for H2B workers that would shift its enforcement from Homeland Security to Labour department, where officials say they could monitor housing and safety regulations.
Tamil Nadu MP S.K. Kharventhan of the Congress party, meanwhile, pledged his support to the workers.
"This issue needs to be taken up as an international crime in India. Meeting with you personally has opened my eyes to the seriousness of the problem and the fact that the Indian government should help you bring the traffickers to justice," he said.
With support from law firms and advocacy groups, the Indians have filed a federal lawsuit in Louisiana against Signal and several recruiting agents, under a federal law that prohibits human trafficking.
The Justice Department is also conducting a criminal civil rights investigation of the company.
"These workers came to help rebuild the Gulf, and on arrival their nightmare began," lawmaker Dennis J. Kucinich said at the protest.
"We recognise that modern-day slavery exists, but the U.S. Congress has passed laws that protect the victims. We have faith in the U.S. system of justice, and we believe these workers should place their faith in the U.S. system of justice, too."
Signal is suing Beaumont, Mississippi-based Global Resources and other recruiters of workers from India. In the lawsuit filed last month in Louisiana, the company claims it was unaware of the alleged green card promises the recruiters made to workers before their arrival.
