LETTER TO THE EDITOR
January 10, 2017
Recent local media reports detailed human trafficking charges brought against two men after six unauthorized migrants were found living in an unheated shed behind a poultry slaughterhouse located in Perth Amboy. City inspectors shut the business down for good due to extensive code and health violations. The displaced immigrant workers were referred to Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen, which provided them with food, legal support and transitional housing.
It was then Catholic Charities staff members learned that, for several years, the immigrant workers were forced to work in highly unsanitary and unhealthy conditions anywhere from 70-to-100 hours, six days a week for as little as $2.90 per hour, and were threatened by the plant’s owners with arrest and deportation when they complained about their working conditions. From their meager earnings, each worker is said to have paid $40 per week to live in substandard housing onsite.
Only after getting permission from the workers did our Catholic Charities team notify federal law enforcement of possible human trafficking and involuntary servitude abuses. A subsequent federal investigation led to the Nov. 29 arrest of the owner and manager of the business, and an attempt to recover the thousands of dollars in stolen wages these workers are owed. The outcome is yet unknown and, certainly, we pray that justice will be served. Thankfully, the affected workers are now living self-sufficiently, with renewed dignity and freedom from fear due to Catholic Charities’ support.
While this unthinkable and unjust situation gained limited media attention, it is not the only, or worst, offense perpetrated against countless vulnerable immigrants living, working and worshipping in our local communities. The very good news, however, is that amongst other institutions, the Catholic Church remains committed to accompanying immigrant and refugee individuals and families as they work for a better life right here in Central New Jersey.
Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen provides legal, educational, and material support to thousands of immigrant families. We help immigrant workers vulnerable to exploitation exercise their rights in the workplace, reunite and keep together 1,000 families every year, and collaborate with local police to support immigrant victims of domestic violence. Over the last four years, we have accompanied hundreds of young people, who were brought to this country without authorization when they were children, in achieving a real future through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program; and we remain committed to supporting these young people who represent our future.
In November, Pope Francis reminded us that, “In God’s heart there are no enemies. God only has sons and daughters. We are the ones who raise walls, build barriers and label people.” As the local Church in Metuchen, our celebration of National Migration Week Jan. 8-14 calls us to reflect on the circumstances confronting migrants, including immigrants, refugees, children, and survivors of human trafficking. It reminds us that we must continue our efforts to serve, build community, and stand in solidarity with immigrants and refugees in ways consistent with the laws of our nation, our national security as well as the core principles on which our country was founded.
Most Rev. James F. Checchio
Bishop of Metuchen
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Read recent media reports:
The Star-Ledger: Halal slaughterhouse investigation began with charity's tip (December 3, 2016)
Courier News & Home News Tribune: 2 New York man accused of human trafficking in Perth Amboy (November 30, 2016)
Woodbridge Patch: 2 Men Charged With Human Trafficking At Middlesex County Slaughterhouse: US Attorney (November 30, 2016)