Posted on 06/24/2008 12:28:13 PM PDT by Puppage
New Haven (AP) _ A family of Ecuadorean immigrants has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the owners of a New Haven bakery shop where they worked of sexually and verbally abusing them for years. They also allege the owners refused to pay the minimum wage or overtime and threatened to deport them if they complained.
The unusual lawsuit by undocumented immigrants was filed earlier this month under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
Olger Nestor Urena Flores and members of his family are making the allegations against Antonio DiBenedetto and his wife, Anna, who own Rocco's Bakery in New Haven and a bread-making factory in Meriden.
A telephone message was left Tuesday for the DiBenedettos' lawyer, Hugh Keefe.
The lawsuit seeks damages for back wages and for suffering and emotional distress.
You need to get past the title and the first paragraph before you get to the REAL part of the story here. On a lighter note, they've finally figured out the American way...sue, sue, sue.
Expect more of this in Sancuary City, that is New Haven.
ping
You’re automatically awarded citizenship once you file your first personal injury law-suit, aren’t you?
What are the benefits of an illegal alien workforce if we can’t beat, humiliate and exploit them?
This is GREAT news.
Once employers realize they’re going to be screwed by illegals anyway, they’ll stop hiring them.
The undocumented Equadorian immgrants are a family. The owner and his wife are the owners. Heaven forbid they be referred to as a family.
About all you have to do to hit the big time, is gain employment at a U.S. business, hire an attorney, and demand compensation.
The owners made one major mistake. They hired the illegals. Once they did, they were in jeopardy. Good luck, because they’re going to need it.
As illegal immigrants, they don’t have rights to claim a fair wage. Their big lie is that U.S. workers won’t do the work. No they won’t for dirt wages. And the Equadorians said they would. End of story.
This will be a fun thread to watch.
This -IS- good news as the people who did the hiring are getting what they deserve.
Back during the Amnesty fiasco, a lot of people were demanding that people hiring the illegals were the primary problem. So here's a test.
There's just no good guy in this story to root for.
It serves him right for hiring illegals.
Unfortunately, it's about gotten to the point that when I see immigrant in a news article, I'm sure it's an illegal alien.
After reading this headline, I assumed the article was about illegal aliens, and then . . . lo and behold!
Good the company that hires illegals should pay a lot.
Another problem with hiring Illegals. Not all business’ just want to pay the low wages, but also want to enslave these people. It’s bad all the way around. Why can’t people see this on the left?
TRAFFICKING VICTIMS PROTECTION ACT OF 2000
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/about/TVPA_2000.html
Protection and assistance for victims of trafficking under the law include making housing, educational, health care, job training and other Federally-funded social service programs available to assist victims in rebuilding their lives. The law also established the T visa, which allows victims of trafficking to become temporary residents of the U.S. The TVPA authorizes up to 5,000 victims of trafficking each year to receive permanent residence status after three years from issuance of their temporary residency visas. The T visa signifies a shift in the immigration law policy, which previously resulted in many victims being deported as illegal aliens. The law also makes victims of trafficking eligible for the Witness Protection Program.
The law makes victims of trafficking eligible for benefits and services under Federal or state programs once they become certified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Adult trafficking victims must be certified as a pre-condition for their eligibility for benefits and services. Once certified, they will be eligible to apply for benefits and services under any Federal or state funded programs, to the same extent as refugees including refugee cash, medical assistance and social services. Victims under the age of 18 do not need to be certified. HHS issues these victims letters of eligibility so that providers know these victims are eligible for services and benefits.
Victims of human trafficking who are non-U.S. citizens are eligible to receive benefits and services through the TVPA to the same extent as refugees. Victims who are U.S. citizens do not need to be certified by HHS to receive benefits; as U.S. citizens, they are eligible for many benefits.
Let’s hope the “Rocco’s” family has to pay $1 million to the illegals. That will send a shockwave through the city.
I don’t like seeing mom and pop business lost. I’ll bet all the other businesses in their area are using illegal aliens as well.
Still, in the end you are right.
Now, what do we do about businesses being put into the situion of having to go out of business because they won’t hire illegals? Sure wish I knew. Our leaders sure won’t show any leadership on this.
It’s a sad time in this nation, citizens being sold out for a dime on the dollar.
This is a little different from the typical story. Apparently the bakery owner imported the family specifically to exploit them and then blackmailed them into keeping quiet. Here’s a longer version of what happened.
http://newhavenindependent.org/archives/2008/06/feds_rescue_bak.php
Its interesting that ICE actually enabled their escape from the bakery.
Scumbag DiBenedetto gets what he deserved. NO symphathy here folks.
Thanks for the link. If the shop owners were out of line, I support them being taken to task for it.
While I don’t like illegal immigrants, I don’t want them abused either. They need to go home.
Frankly, I have no problem with it.
If the Federal Government won’t prosecute the slave labor loving employers of illegal aliens, let the illegal aliens do ‘it’.....Then deport them.
Illegal aliens, just doing the job the Federal Government won’t.
If it's any consolation, and it probably isn't, the rest of the world is sucking even harder on this lemon.
It's the state of 21st century humanity, not so much a comment on this country.
You could take all the wealth out of this country, split it in two, hand half to China and half to the middle east and we'd all still be better off than those parts of the world. Been there, seen that.
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