Illegal immigrants suffer exploitation

Press, 2 March 1984, Page 16

Illegal immigrants suffer exploitation

By

Joseph Marshall,

Features International

Dressed in dark, three-piece suits, and carrying briefcases, two dozen Asian businessmen waded ashore through the surf of a Florida beach — into the arms of waiting United States immigration officers. A police spokesman said: “They v kind of stood out in the surf at 3 a.m. on a moonlit night, dressed for a business conference.” The men, from Bombay, had paid several thousands of dollars each to be smuggled into America as illegal immigrants — the latest victims of a world-wide racket exploiting the plight of, thousands desperate to start a new life in a new country, but who cannot get official permission. In Britain, would-be immigrants have been charged up to $17,000 each for work permits in the name of bogus companies. By the time they are discovered, and deported, the mysterious middle-men who arranged the deal — and took the money — have vanished. Now, a seminar held recently in Geneva by the Intergovernmental Committee for Migration (1.C.M.) has called for concerted worldwide action to halt the illegal flow, most notably in Europe where the problem is worst. A report declares: “In Europe, one out of every 10 immigrant workers is estimated to have entered the country irregularly.” The problem in Britain, where illegal immigration has been known to reach 35,000 in a year, was recently highlighted by the activities of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot Advice Centre in London, where immigrants were charged up to $17,000 for work permits issued for non-existent firms, to enable them to create a new — if precarious — life. Latest victims of the illegal entry business are the world’s major airlines. Many countries now charge them for the upkeep of

suspect immigrants detained at airports. For instance, last year, Britain stopped 12,000 passengers suspected of trying to enter the country illegally — and sent airlines a bill for $2.2 million. Estimates of the number of illegal aliens in the United States go as high as six million, most of them from Mexico or Latin America. Organised gangs of immigrant smugglers operate on the border between Mexico and the United States. A United States border agent, John Chacon, says: “It is a highly-lucrative business for these gangs who, once aliens have crossed and got jobs, intimidate them, into parting with at least a month’s wages. “It’s all very well for congressmen to boast that over a million of these immigrants are caught in a year, but for every one caught, one will get through.” Along the Tijuana river into the United States, the “illegals” are tracked on infra-red telescopes so powerful they can detect a rabbit three miles away. John Chacon adds: “We’ve got nightscopes, helicopters, seismic cables, and sensors ranged against them — but still they get through.” Immigration smugglers in Latin America are currently doing a booming trade supplying passages into America. Half a million Salvadoreans — over 10 per cent of the nation’s population — are living illegally in the United States, according to figures from the United States Immigration and Naturalisation Service. One reason given has been the increasing violence in El Salvador, resulting|in 160,000 applications for

political asylum in the United States. In Europe, immigration experts see the problem of illegal political refugees getting steadily worse over the years. West Germany is swollen with Hungarians, Czechs, Afghans, and Poles. In Bonn, a Government spokesman said: “Court action to deny asylum to an individual can take up. to eight months, and appeals can delay deportation for even longer. “The cost is enormous, because the migrants are drawing on Government welfare funds. They are not allowed to work while their immigrant status is pending.” Even Arab countries like Saudi Arabia, where permanent migration is banned, have had to face up to the problems. Saudi has a twin problem — the lure of high-paying jobs and its role as the guardian of Islam’s holy places. Every year, Muslims from poor nations like Chad and Bangladesh make the pilgrimage to Mecca, and stay on illegally. The pilgrimage is considered a religious duty -- a ban is out of the question. But police at checkpoints and roving squads are increasingly searching for illegal immigrants. Last year, one crackdown revealed 11,000 foreigners without resident permits, many of them alleged pilgrims. Most pitiable victims of exploitation have, of course, been the Vietnamese “boat people,” often robbed and raped by organised Thai “pirates.” Japan is currently dealing with a flood of them. In Tokyo, a Government spokesman said: “We’ve admitted some 2000 legally and we’ve hundreds in resettlement centres. “We can’t be certain what we will do with them.” Indeed, that is the dilemma world wide for authorities faced with millions desperate for a new life. i