Catch 23 - update

Last November the HPR asked me to write a story on the Cass 23. I liked the idea, but there was one major problem: The primary sources were all in jail and unavailable to the media.

I tried to gather as much information as possible and to tie it all together in an unbiased story (http://hpr1.com/feature/article/catch_23_you_dont_have_to_go_home_but_you_cant_work_here/).

Tuesday night, at Nativity Catholic Church, I finally met some of the men I had written about and had the chance to learn more about their allegations of human trafficking.

More on that in moment, but first, here’s an update of their situation. Following what I consider a very fair plea bargain with the local U.S. Attorney, the men were released with time-served as their punishment for taking jobs in Casselton. They were then taken into custody by immigration officials and now face a deportation hearing on May 7. A network of supporters posted bond for the men, and 15 of them now share four Fargo apartments that were provided with the help of Lutheran Social Services.

While 15 men to four apartments may sound a little cramped to the average American, remember that when these men first came here, each worker shared a windowless shipping container with 23 others. And that brings us back to their allegations, which became more clear on Tuesday night.

The advertisement on this page, titled “Migrate to the U.S.A.,” is the actual ad that brought the Cass 23 and over 400 other foreign workers to our country. It clearly promises permanent residence in the U.S. for both the worker and his family, a much different guarantee from the temporary guest worker permit they actually received. What the ad doesn’t say is that it would cost anywhere from $15,000 to $20,000 for this opportunity, but had the rest of it been true, that sum of money might have been worth the chance to become a permanent American resident. 

Now, some may look at this ad and point out the warning signs. In a buyer beware world, the ad looks like the type of scam we see all the time: “Work from home. Make $5000/month!” Most people don’t answer these ads because they sound too good to be true, and many who do hang up when they realize they need to pay a fee to learn about the program.

But just as some people pay the $39.99 fee for a potentially worthless work from home opportunity, these men had their trust violated by scammers promising rewards they could not deliver. The difference between the two? About $14,960—a life savings in India.

A “they should have known better” argument doesn’t work for me. If some guy signs a contract to sell me the Brooklyn Bridge and I pay him but don’t get my bridge, my mistake doesn’t pardon his crime. Much of the feedback on my article centered around people’s personal opinions on illegal immigration, but this is not a case involving people sneaking into the country. Someone who promised these men permanent residence—a right this person or group was in no position to offer—brought them here through the front door.

Now we have to ask ourselves an important question: Does justice-for-all actually exist in America, or has it become an empty marketing slogan that high school civics teachers are required to pitch to us, selling an infomercial-quality brand of democracy?

Whether they rule in favor of or against the people who brought the Cass 23 to the U.S., if the Department of Justice doesn’t at least investigate this case, we will send two very dangerous messages to the world. One, that the high ideals we pride ourselves on are worth as much as the contracts these men signed, and two, anyone who wishes to pursue a lucrative human trafficking bait and switch business has the green light of the American government.

So, watch this case closely. If it goes by unnoticed, consider this business model for success in the face of our current financial crisis: Place ads in foreign newspapers promising permanent U.S. residence, charge a relative fortune to sign up, and then bring the workers here on a temporary guest worker permit, singing caveat emptor all the way to the bank. If you too can get 500 desperate people to go for it, that’s a $7.5 million gross profit. (Extra emphasis on the word gross.)

So, just as some people call these guys suckers, maybe the capacity crowd at Nativity Catholic Church was filled with suckers as well, suckers who still believe in justice. If you want to join them in their noble folly, send a polite letter that urges Senator Dorgan to contact Senator Leahy, chair of the Judiciary Committee and the one elected official who can perhaps convince the DOJ to dig deeper into this case.

Is it a long shot? Of course it is, but unfavorable odds didn’t stop a group of men named Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Monroe, Madison…and they shouldn’t stop you either.