Posted on 09/17/2010 8:27:24 PM PDT by conservativegramma
WASHINGTON (AFP) – A Florida couple pleaded guilty to conspiring to hold 39 Filipino employees against their will working in country clubs and hotels, the US Justice Department said Friday.
Sophia Manuel, 41, and Alfonso Baldonado Jr., 45, were owners of a labor contracting service based in the Florida city of Boca Raton.
Manuel and Baldonado "conspired to obtain a cheap, compliant and readily available labor pool, by making false promises to entice the victims to incur debts," read a Department of Justice statement, quoting court documents.
"The defendants then compelled the victims' labor and services through threats to have the workers arrested and deported, knowing the workers faced serious economic harm and possible incarceration for nonpayment of debts in the Philippines."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
This has nothing to do with illegal aliens. It’s about a greedy “employment agency” holding legal workers hostage.
This is not a case of “Illegal Immigration”. Do you think that they swam here all the way from the Philippines just to be called a wet-back? These people are here legally on work visa’s working for a company that paid their way here and agreed to wage levels before the filipinos were allowed to leave their home islands. The company who committed these manipulations had submitted applications with the State Dept. for each of these temporary workers saying that they had work for them that they could not find an American to do. And then the company tried to trap them here and force them to work (cleaning rooms, doing laundry and changing sheets for NOTHING. THEY TRIED TO MAKE THEM SLAVES.
I hate Illegal Immigration, but let’s know what Illegal Immigration is before we just dismiss abused innocent people.
Could be I read it wrong. The article talked about deportation and that’s always an alarm bell for illegal workers.
But even if legal — this could easily be done with illegal workers as well. In fact, the threat of deportation would have great effect on illegal workers and its only a matter of time anyhow with the low wages illegals already earn before something like this is done if it hasn’t been done already.
As I said above I misinterpreted the article at first glance. In going back and re-reading it you are probably right.
However, I still believe something like this could easily be done with illegals as well. Probably a lot easier since they really do face the threat of deporation and incarceration.
There are many ways to make slaves out of illegals....male and females.....some ways being overt, some being subtle.
Leni
I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess these were “illegal aliens”, since he pleaded guilty to the charge.
I want to make it very clear that I am intolerant of employee abuse, no matter the country of origin of an employee.
I would be curious as to what, if any, charges were filed against their customers,the Hotels and Clubs who paid them to import “slaves”.
They knew they were aiding and abetting the crime. Here in Florida, there are large numbers of legal foreign residents who speak with an accent, not to mention the number of citizens seeking entry level, low skilled, low wage jobs. Labor is not in short supply.
There should be ZERO allocation of H2B guest workers in the Hotel/Restaurant/Tourism support industries.
I want our State labor laws enforced, along with the Federal immigration laws. These laws are already written.
Had they been enforced, these “slavers” would never have the opportunity to practice their trade.
The people who are refusing to enforce the existing laws are our elected “lawmakers” and “law enforcement agencies”.
This case shows it can be done.
There are likely similar criminals numbering in the thousands in my state alone.
PROSECUTE THEM!!!!!!
It’s really not a case of ‘illegal immigration’.
Look at it this way. They come on a 6 month temporary visa. When their time comes up, instead of renewing, they demand these folks to work for them for free or they will be deported.
The Filipinas rather then running away and wanting to remain in America, buckle down and suffer. They could still end up deported depending on their Visa status, but it won’t be their fault. Involuntary imprisonment, not much they can do.
That is correct. Unfortunately, it is also the status quo for foreign employment agencies in the Philippines.
My heart goes out for the OFWs who got trapped in this scheme, though they're only a handful in the big picture.
The OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers, and yes, that is indeed a technical term) are "guilty" of nothing more than wanting to work to provide for their families (Parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, etc.). When that becomes something wrong, may God help us all.
Mrs. Altair did several OFW "tours of duty" before I met her and she (and others) have told me a lot of stories. The Philippine overseas employment agencies appear to be, even in the best of circumstances, trying to push the limits between employment as we know it and indentured servitude as far in the way in the slavery as they can get it.
They recruit (usually) young women. Young under aged women who have falsified their documentation to appear older than they really are and thus eligible to work. That gives the agencies remarkable control over their "employees".
Once recruited from the provinces, they get taken to safe houses usually in Manila, then have all their paperwork taken away until they are sent away on assignment. Once they do get an assignment, they (temporarily) get their paperwork back for international travel only to have their new employers do the same thing on the other side. Without paperwork, in a foreign country, leaves one remarkably helpless. This is not a wild rant, or a one-off. Mrs. Altair did three tours and the same thing happened each time.
She did the next two, because they do in fact, end up paying off, though ... keep reading.
OFWs are required to pay for their assignment. The going rate is the first 3 months of salary. And yes, it is taken right off the top - no pay other than room and board for the first three months, the rest is kept by the agency. The employers confiscate their passports on entry to the host country, thus restricting movement.
I do my level best not to hate any one, but I DESPISE the "employment agencies" that take advantage of young Filipinos who are trying to work to provide for their families. I offer my prayers to the OFWs (and their families) who got stuck in this scheme.
Oh, and I hope the IRS takes a very, very close look at the Florida couple's books. A little bird tells me that they are not paying minimum wage (US minimum wage is higher than what educated and skilled teachers get paid in Mindanao) or doing any other kind of required US tax compliance.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess these were “illegal aliens”, since he pleaded guilty to the charge.
I must respectfully disagree with your conclusion and please read my longer message posted above. He pleaded guilty to the charges because he needs attention deflected off of him immediately. The Philippines has child labor laws too and I'm willing to bet that 100% of his employees have falsified documentation with respect to their ages.
My opinion is based upon many conversations I've had with people during the time I've lived in Philippines and with Mrs. Altair.
The OFWs are guilty, guilty as sin of wanting to work to provide for their families in a poor country. They are also paying three month salary in agency fees off the top (ie. no pay for the first three months). The job agencies are modern day slave traders and I hope they get the book thrown at them. Big time.
The eastern Europeans marry gays for between $10 - 15 K a pop and scam the system ... they divorce after two years and do it over again ... it's blatant and deliberately unchecked.
.
Do you seriously expect me to overlook the fact that you tacitly support an illegal alien underground workforce (slavery), if they “are honestly just doing it to feed their families” ?
Seriously?
Sorry if the laws against slavery interfere with your personally favored “pet slaves”.
How utterly ethically twisted must you be, to NOT see that your support of the desperate people who corrupted the system designed to protect them, and us, from harm, is wrong?
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