Immigrant Laborers in Limbo

By  Garland McLaurin on May 15, 2008

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One hundred Indian guest workers marched hundreds of miles from New Orleans, LA, to Washington, DC, to protest their treatment by their employer, Signal International. Brought here under the auspices of the H2B visa program, the workers were promised much and given little in return. As concerns about immigration continue to hold the national spotlight, theirs is a cautionary tale. According to a recent article in the Washington Post, eighteen members of Congress have signed a letter to Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey asking for a Justice Department investigation on the group’s behalf.

Keywords: George Bush, gulf coast, h2b visa, illegal immigration, indentured servitude, Indian embassy, Jobs for Justice, labor, New Orleans Center for Racial Justice, Signal International, slave labor, Southern Poverty Law Center, temporary guest workers, visa