Thai farm workers send letter lamenting dismissal of human trafficking charges

By Audrey McAvoy

Associated Press

POSTED: 06:40 p.m. HST, Aug 13, 2012
LAST UPDATED: 12:40 a.m. HST, Aug 14, 2012

More than two dozen Thai farm laborers Monday signed a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder lamenting the dismissal of human trafficking charges against people accused of exploiting them.

The letter expresses regret that the largest-ever human trafficking case brought by the U.S. government ended without going to trial. It tells Holder the workers had faith in the U.S. justice system.

“Some of us spent hours upon hours detailing our experience over and over again to federal agents,” the letter said. “Many of us still had the documents needed to prove everything we said was true.”

Global Horizons, of Los Angeles, was accused of manipulating 600 Thai workers it placed in farms across the United States.

The company’s attorney in Honolulu, Michael Green, last month called the dismissal a “moral victory.”

Chanchanit Martorell, executive director of the Thai Community Development Center in Los Angeles, said it’s contradictory for prosecutors to tell the center its clients were victims of a severe form of trafficking but that they can’t prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Human trafficking case against Global Horizons dismissed

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2_centz wrote:

The Thai people should be deported as to cover up all the loopholes the Thai believe they can use to come into America, by bribeing Americans or Asians who duped them. Then when back in Thailand, the others will see the fruitless ness in their efforts to illegally buying their way into America.

on August 13,2012 | 07:39PM

Grimbold wrote:

Deport all illegal invaders. The boat is full, and in the long run they are a burden to the tax payer! And sue Obama for hindering to toss out the Illaegals.

on August 14,2012 | 05:35AM

Grimbold wrote:

Remember: Every new immigrant makes the traffic mess worse,overcrowding everywhere, increases the housing shortage, drives up housing cost and contributes to the concreting over of our nature !Special interests try to brainwash us into thinking immigration is good for us, whereas in reality it is destroying the good life in USA.

on August 14,2012 | 05:39AM

KurtNJ wrote:

Are you crazy? Farm workers are brought here under false hopes. loose everything, held on some farm to work 12 hours a day for no pay. It must be all their fault ! Your life is miserable not because of immigrant slave labor, but your small mind!

on August 14,2012 | 07:03AM

TigerEye wrote:

"Are you crazy?" Yes.

on August 14,2012 | 10:17AM

al_kiqaeda wrote:

Isn't that how sugar plantations worked back in the 1800's?

on August 14,2012 | 08:53AM

keys4me wrote:

i believe we need to completely start over on immigration, and I do understand and sympathize with these victims of a scam. The whole system is a wreck. someone do something!!!!!!!!!!!

on August 14,2012 | 07:22AM

sailfish1 wrote:

To be fair, I don't think these Thai workers were illegal. The company Global Horizons brought them over under some kind of work program. It's possible they were exploited by Global Horizons and were treated unfairly.

on August 14,2012 | 08:42AM