New York Times features a story about "270 Illegal Immigrants Sent to Prison in Federal Push". Immigrants arrested in an Iowa raid faced tough criminal charges instead of rapid deportation: "In temporary courtrooms at a fairgrounds here, 270 illegal immigrants were sentenced this week to five months in prison for working at a meatpacking plant with false documents. The prosecutions, which ended Friday, signal a sharp escalation in the Bush administration’s crackdown on illegal workers, with prosecutors bringing tough federal criminal charges against most of the immigrants arrested in a May 12 raid. Until now, unauthorized workers have generally been detained by immigration officials for civil violations and rapidly deported."
Agro-industries/Slaughter houses
Migrants in bonded labour trap
Submitted by pk on April 7, 2004 - 18:43.Workers packing produce for supermarkets suffered series of abuses and shocking conditions
An employment agency involved in a government-backed initiative to clean up the gangmaster industry has been supplying debt-bonded labour to pack fresh produce for British supermarkets, the Guardian has learned. The South African workers supplied by Staffmasters Ltd to pack fruit and vegetables at a packhouse for Tesco and other leading retailers held legitimate work permits but were subject to a series of abuses and breaches of employment legislation.
