Indian Guestworkers on a Journey of Justice
On March 7th, 2008 over 100 Indian guest workers in Mississippi walked out of their jobs at Signal International, a marine construction company, to protest guest worker laws. The Indians were hired as welders and pipefitters following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Hundreds of guest workers were trafficked from India to the Gulf Coast after the Gulf Coast hurricanes. Paying their life savings to recruiters in India, these workers took on overwhelming debt believing that they would receive green cards (permanent residency) in the United States. But after arriving here, the Indian workers in Mississippi found themselves with only temporary visas and the harsh reality of slavery-like conditions in their workplace. Forced to endure severely cramped housing, the workers were not allowed to leave their camps. Many have been threatened with termination and deportation if they protested these conditions.
For over a year now, these workers have been raising awareness about the situation of exploitation that they have found themselves trapped in. Today, they are on a "journey of justice" from New Orleans to Washington DC to reveal the truth about the guest worker program. Through the assistance of non-profit organizations, they have filed legal complaints with various agencies. The workers are expected to be in Washington, DC from March 26th - April 2nd.
You can follow their journey here:
