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American dream
turns to nightmare
for illegal aliens
smuggled from China

By Rod Ohira
Star-Bulletin

Six men from China willing to work long hours for low wages had their American dreams shattered Wednesday at Honolulu Airport.

The men, ages 32 to 47, were sent to Honolulu by brokers based in Alhambra, Calif., who specialize in recruiting illegal Chinese aliens for employers in the United States.

A two-month Immigration and Naturalization Service probe into the referral services led to indictments against the owners of Twin Bridge Employment Agency and American West Employment Agency.

Permanent resident aliens Nancy Wang and Xia Sun are charged with "attempting to induce an illegal alien to remain in the United States."

Both are being held without bail in Los Angeles. If convicted, they could be sentenced up to 10 years in prison on each count and fined $250,000.

Trafficking in human misery

"People who traffic in human misery should be prepared for the consequences," INS agent Jim Chaparro said. "The illegal aliens are really being exploited by everyone, from smugglers to unscrupulous employers who take advantage of their situation."

Immigration District Director Donald Radcliffe said illegal aliens pay a broker $60-$70 to help them find a job, then pay the broker 10 percent of their first month's wages.

In its undercover operation, an immigration agent posing as a restaurant owner from Hawaii told Wang and Sun he would pay the illegal aliens between $1,800 and $2,300 per month.

It was agreed that the employer, who did not pay a fee to the broker, would be responsible for flying the aliens to Hawaii.

"They end up working for far below the minimum wage and more than 40 hours with no overtime," Radcliffe said.

"They have no recourse to labor laws because of the threat of employers turning them over to INS."

Records seized from the offices of Wang and Sun indicate they have been operating for more than two years and the brokers have placed hundreds of illegal aliens in jobs around the country, said Radcliffe.

The aliens typically enter the United States with 15-day travel visas and never leave, said Chaparro.

China's high unemployment

"Their intent is to stay here to work," Chaparro said. "Since 1991, we've seen a surge in Chinese alien smuggling because of the economic problems in China.

"Our statistics indicate there are 200 million people in China who are unemployed."

The probe began in late April after the Immigration Service obtained information about the referral services from a person convicted for an unrelated immigration offense.

According to affidavits filed at federal court, the source told immigration officials he first learned of the California agencies through advertisements in Chinese-language newspapers.

There is a "significant" amount of illegal-alien employment in Hawaii, said Chaparro, who declined to give numbers.

"It involves different nationalities," he said. "We're seeing a resurgence of illegal Mexicans on the neighbor islands. Others come from the Philippines, Japan and Korea."

Some of the six men, who were arrested Wednesday shortly after arriving on a flight from Los Angeles, have been living illegally in the United States since July 1998.