|
Report: Foreign Guestworkers Routinely Exploited by U.S. Employers
Guestworkers who come to the United States are routinely cheated out of wages; forced to mortgage their futures to obtain low-wage, temporary jobs; held virtually captive by employers who seize their documents; forced to live in squalid conditions; and denied medical benefits for injuries, according to a new report released by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Companion Resources:
:: Close to Slavery: Guestworker Programs in the United States (PDF)
:: Congress Strives for Immigration Deal
:: Writing Persuasive Letters About Immigration Reform
Discussion Questions:
- How many guestworkers are there in the U.S.? What types of jobs do they perform?
- What powers do employers exercise over these workers' lives?
- In what ways do employers abuse guestworkers, economically and otherwise?
- Why are these workers sometimes hesitant to report abuse?
- What reforms are necessary to ensure that employers treat guestworkers fairly?
- Should Congress write these reforms into the STRIVE Act? Why?
Follow-Up Activity
Students can write letters to their Congressional representatives about the need to include reforms to prevent guestworker abuse within the STRIVE Act. Note: Teaching Tolerance welcomes copies of student letters. Submit them by email or send them to: Teaching Tolerance, 400 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104. |
