nmah sweatshop exhibition -- ins badge

U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service badge

Despite the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which extended amnesty to illegal aliens residing in the United States, the number of undocumented Latino and Asian immigrants is estimated to be growing by 275,000 annually. Many of the nation's estimated five million illegal immigrants work in garment production, agriculture, construction, hotel and food service, and janitorial and domestic work. Some exploitative garment contractors use the threat of Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) deportation to keep workers from reporting health, safety, and wage code violations. A few contractors have even been known to turn in their own employees to the INS to avoid paying them their wages.

Return to 1940-1997, part 3