An Eye Opening Story
Posted in ICE, human trafficking at 10:55 pm
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Every day at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), we are fighting a fight you rarely hear about in the media - the battle against human trafficking. ICE is taking an aggressive approach to dismantle the global infrastructure of people, money and materials that supports this heinous crime. I want to take this opportunity to share with you a story about a recent ICE human trafficking investigation.
Picture this: May 12, 2007. A rainy midnight in an affluent Long Island neighborhood where the average home cost around $1.5 million. A woman in her fifties – I’ll call her “Jane” – wearing ripped sweat pants and rags she’d sewn together into a shirt wandered the neighborhood looking for help. At first, Jane thought she’d go to a nearby home, but ended up abandoning that plan and even hid in the bushes every time a car passed, having never been out of the house before and unsure of whom she could trust.
Miraculously, Jane found her way to small shopping center with a donut shop - one of the only businesses open at that very early hour - more than a mile away. Again, fearful, she did not go in. But an alert employee spotted Jane and, despite the fact that he did not speak her Indonesian language, convinced her to come inside.
He and his manager sheltered and fed Jane until the manager’s mother, a nurse, arrived. Jane motioned and gestured that she’d been abused. And the nurse observed severe injuries behind her ears – as if someone had tried to cut them off – and dozens of scars and other marks covering her arms. Ultimately, the three called local police for help.
Nassau County Police Department officers arrived, as did a specially trained detective who is part of the local Human Trafficking Task Force. Jane was taken to the hospital and local officers contacted ICE.
The five-month ICE investigation that followed culminated on December 17 when a wealthy Long Island couple was convicted by jury trial on a twelve count federal indictment that included forced labor, peonage, document servitude, harboring aliens and conspiracy for holding Jane and another Indonesian woman captive. The couple is set to be sentenced on March 28, 2008, and each faces up to 40 years for their roles in this scheme.
These women were rescued, and the perpetrators brought to justice, because each of the individuals involved took action. Like many things in law enforcement, the badge-carriers can’t always do the job alone.
For years, a number of non-governmental organizations have assisted us in our cause – both through public outreach and by providing victim services. And now we’re augmenting their efforts by reaching out directly to the public with a new ICE Public Service Announcement. Our message is simple: A human trafficking victim can be anyone. If you see them, report it to ICE at 1-866-347-2423.
The sad reality is that trafficking victims remain anonymous as long as they are ignored. They hide in plain sight. We all must work together to shine a light on this problem and get the victims to the help they deserve.
Julie L. Myers
Assistant Secretary
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Picture this: May 12, 2007. A rainy midnight in an affluent Long Island neighborhood where the average home cost around $1.5 million. A woman in her fifties – I’ll call her “Jane” – wearing ripped sweat pants and rags she’d sewn together into a shirt wandered the neighborhood looking for help. At first, Jane thought she’d go to a nearby home, but ended up abandoning that plan and even hid in the bushes every time a car passed, having never been out of the house before and unsure of whom she could trust.
Miraculously, Jane found her way to small shopping center with a donut shop - one of the only businesses open at that very early hour - more than a mile away. Again, fearful, she did not go in. But an alert employee spotted Jane and, despite the fact that he did not speak her Indonesian language, convinced her to come inside.
He and his manager sheltered and fed Jane until the manager’s mother, a nurse, arrived. Jane motioned and gestured that she’d been abused. And the nurse observed severe injuries behind her ears – as if someone had tried to cut them off – and dozens of scars and other marks covering her arms. Ultimately, the three called local police for help.
Nassau County Police Department officers arrived, as did a specially trained detective who is part of the local Human Trafficking Task Force. Jane was taken to the hospital and local officers contacted ICE.
The five-month ICE investigation that followed culminated on December 17 when a wealthy Long Island couple was convicted by jury trial on a twelve count federal indictment that included forced labor, peonage, document servitude, harboring aliens and conspiracy for holding Jane and another Indonesian woman captive. The couple is set to be sentenced on March 28, 2008, and each faces up to 40 years for their roles in this scheme.
These women were rescued, and the perpetrators brought to justice, because each of the individuals involved took action. Like many things in law enforcement, the badge-carriers can’t always do the job alone.
For years, a number of non-governmental organizations have assisted us in our cause – both through public outreach and by providing victim services. And now we’re augmenting their efforts by reaching out directly to the public with a new ICE Public Service Announcement. Our message is simple: A human trafficking victim can be anyone. If you see them, report it to ICE at 1-866-347-2423.
The sad reality is that trafficking victims remain anonymous as long as they are ignored. They hide in plain sight. We all must work together to shine a light on this problem and get the victims to the help they deserve.
Julie L. Myers
Assistant Secretary
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Published by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C.
State of Immigration
Posted in ICE, immigration, immigration enforcement at 8:55 pm
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This past August, in the wake of Congress’ failure to pass comprehensive reform, the Administration launched a series of major initiatives that are designed to secure our homeland by building on the progress already made against illegal immigration.
Yesterday, I delivered the first of a series of updates on how we are doing on this critical matter.
In previous journal entries, I detailed our work along our Southern Border, from building pedestrian and vehicle fencing to deploying thousands of new Border Patrol agents, along with National Guard members.
As we’ve put more fencing and boots on the ground, we’ve witnessed a 20% decline in cross-border apprehensions from the previous year, indicating that fewer people are trying to come here illegally. Financial remittances to Mexico have also declined, and we’re seeing fewer people in traditional border staging areas.
I want to talk to you now about similar progress we’ve made in interior enforcement. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested over 3,500 gang members and their associates this past fiscal year. ICE also added 23 fugitive operations teams, and reduced its fugitive case backlog by more than 35,000 individuals.
ICE has also cracked down on employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. In fiscal year 2007, ICE made 863 criminal arrests, 4,077 administrative arrests, and obtained more than $30 million in criminal fines, restitutions and civil judgments as a result of worksite enforcement efforts.
We’ve made remarkable progress through stepped-up enforcement, but an enforcement-only approach does not fully address the illegal immigration problem. That’s why we’re giving employers better tools to verify their workforce and comply with the law. More than 24,000 companies were enrolled in E-Verify (our web-based system that allows employers to check if a worker is authorized to work in this country) this past fiscal year, and today, that number is 30,000.
In addition to providing tools for employers, we must also acknowledge that many of our economic needs are met by foreign workers. We must have effective legal channels for employers to hire temporary workers when American workers are unavailable, especially in the agriculture industry. That’s why we’re working with the Department of Labor to strengthen and streamline the H-2A Agricultural Seasonal Worker Program.
Some critics suggest that the federal government lacks the will to enforce the law. The record shows that criticism is untrue. But what is true is that we’ve had to fight lawsuits and special interests every step of the way, because some business and advocacy groups favor a silent amnesty and the status quo over enforcing our laws. My commitment is that we will not back down.
Thanks for reading.
Michael Chertoff
Yesterday, I delivered the first of a series of updates on how we are doing on this critical matter.
In previous journal entries, I detailed our work along our Southern Border, from building pedestrian and vehicle fencing to deploying thousands of new Border Patrol agents, along with National Guard members.
As we’ve put more fencing and boots on the ground, we’ve witnessed a 20% decline in cross-border apprehensions from the previous year, indicating that fewer people are trying to come here illegally. Financial remittances to Mexico have also declined, and we’re seeing fewer people in traditional border staging areas.
I want to talk to you now about similar progress we’ve made in interior enforcement. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested over 3,500 gang members and their associates this past fiscal year. ICE also added 23 fugitive operations teams, and reduced its fugitive case backlog by more than 35,000 individuals.
ICE has also cracked down on employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. In fiscal year 2007, ICE made 863 criminal arrests, 4,077 administrative arrests, and obtained more than $30 million in criminal fines, restitutions and civil judgments as a result of worksite enforcement efforts.We’ve made remarkable progress through stepped-up enforcement, but an enforcement-only approach does not fully address the illegal immigration problem. That’s why we’re giving employers better tools to verify their workforce and comply with the law. More than 24,000 companies were enrolled in E-Verify (our web-based system that allows employers to check if a worker is authorized to work in this country) this past fiscal year, and today, that number is 30,000.
In addition to providing tools for employers, we must also acknowledge that many of our economic needs are met by foreign workers. We must have effective legal channels for employers to hire temporary workers when American workers are unavailable, especially in the agriculture industry. That’s why we’re working with the Department of Labor to strengthen and streamline the H-2A Agricultural Seasonal Worker Program.
Some critics suggest that the federal government lacks the will to enforce the law. The record shows that criticism is untrue. But what is true is that we’ve had to fight lawsuits and special interests every step of the way, because some business and advocacy groups favor a silent amnesty and the status quo over enforcing our laws. My commitment is that we will not back down.
Thanks for reading.
Michael Chertoff
