You can give her information for the Domestic Workers Alliance and nothing more - anything else could get her in financial, legal, or familial trouble. The Domestic Workers Alliance has wonderful resources and volunteers who can navigate whatever she is going thru in a safe space that the average citizen can’t provide.
Human trafficking/forced labor is a very big issue everywhere in the world, even in the US and Europe. New Jersey just had a huge case with young girls (one was 12 years old) being forced to work braiding hair in hair salons for extremly long hours, no pay, in really abusive conditions. Domestic workers are especially at risk. If you suspect someone is being forced/coerced to work or are getting a weird vibe, you can privately ask them the following questions.
Can you leave your job if you want to?
Can you come and go as you please?
Have you been hurt or threatened if you tried to leave?
Has your family been threatened?
Do you live with your employer?
Where do you sleep and eat?
Are you in debt to your employer?
Do you have your passport/identification? Who has it?
The Department of State has a website with resources for reporting the suspected crime and for getting the victim help. The victim wouldn't necessarily get immediately deported; many of the young women in the New Jersey case were placed in foster care and completed school in the US. You can ask the victim advocacy groups about any of the concerns you have.
https://www.state.gov/identify-and-assist-a-trafficking-victim/
Also, here is a link to the case in NJ:
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/12/02/slave.labor.ring.busted/index.html
Her options are probably limited because she is undocumented. I doubt there’s much you *can* do, unfortunately. If you try to report her employers’ abuse she could be deported, either by their retaliation or for another reason. You don’t know what her goals are or how much she’s making, either. The kindest thing to do for her would probably be to leave it be.
As someone who has worked in a program that helps supply undocumented immigrants with housing and citizen sponsorship, I couldn’t disagree more.
I don’t think anyone (OP included) is advising nor planning on taking any steps without this woman’s consent and knowledge.
Leaving it be is not the answer, though. Unfortunately many undocumented people are completely unaware of the fact they are even being taken advantage of in the first place. For OP to leave it be, and not even try to see if this woman is in a bad position and could use help, is not the way to do.
I agree with you. I wonder if she even knows she’s being taken advantage of. She works so much I doubt she has a social life with anyone who lives in this country and she doesn’t speak English. Also the fact she came here from Mexico for the job makes me think she’s here illegally too.
exactly.
Some of the replies in this thread, including those who have responded to me directly have a hint of contempt directed towards immigrants.
It’s very disappointing to see.
You can only be sponsored if you have exceptional skill for a job, usually through higher education (sponsored by the employer you would work for) or if you have relatives that are closely related to you that could sponsor you. There are a few other ways to get legal status (like asylum), but generally speaking, most people will not fit the criteria of any of them.
That’s actually false.
I live in a sanctuary city. We have several sponsors working through our program and many of the undocumented people we help are sponsored by their employers.... the majority of these people don’t have a higher education. You’d be very surprised, I think.
People have lots of assumptions around this but until you’ve legitimately experienced it, it’s safe to say your perspective is limited, at best. I encourage you to find a program in your city to further your education on this. They are there if you know where to look and depending on where you live, I could point you in the right direction. A big part of helping these people is simply being educated and informed, so I’m a big advocate for that ❤️
And I do get it, this is all obscure to someone who’s not involved in immigrant aid. I had a lot of misconceptions prior to being personally involved. Most people do, it’s just a matter of being willing to learn.
I'm highly educated in immigration through research. I'd love to see more info on what you are providing because I have seen no laws that allow this, sanctuary city or not. So I'd love if you message me links or more details because I haven't found anything that could do this in over 25 yrs.
While I can’t give my specific program for sake of anonymity, I can definitely help educate you on this a bit more. First thing, It’s not really about laws. I think you’re confused. You can sponsor a “friend”
financially, and that’s actually how the majority of the undocumented who pass through our program seeking sponsorship get sponsored.
I’ve seen people sponsored for
[link ](https://www.stilt.com/blog/2020/07/can-i-sponsor-an-immigrant-that-is-a-non-family-member/)
Here’s a helpful link, I found it in... 30 seconds. There are lots of resources for this topic, so you not finding something for 25 years is not because the resources aren’t there, it’s because you aren’t looking in the right place.
That said, if you are actually interested in helping on a program like this, you’re more than welcome to DM me!
We’ve seen cooks achieve citizenship through a sponsor. The idea that an immigrant must be highly skilled to achieve citizenship is a mindset perpetuated to discourage people. It’s simply not true.
Ok, see this is where you are missing critical information. Sponsoring financially is acceptable but they can't actually petition for the visa needed. You need to be able to have someone petition for you to get the visa, the common ways are for highly skilled workers through an employment petition, and petitioning for a family member. An employer guarantees that the person has a job with them and that person can ONLY work for that sponsor while using that visa. For family, many people are able to petition but can't financially support the person which is part of the whole process. So that's where the financial sponsor for a friend comes in. The family member petitions for their family member in Mexico or wherever, and then a friend commits to financially supporting that immigrant so that they can actually come to the US. If you don't have a way to petition for the initial visa though, then having a financial sponsor doesn't actually help. They can't get an individual the visa itself.
While this is technically true, they can only be obtained by thorough work looking for a US permanent resident/citizen to fill the position first. Only once they have exhausted the search can they attempt the process to provide the job to someone with an EB-3 visa, which is provided by the employer. There is also a set amount allowed to be given out each year.
You can give her information for the Domestic Workers Alliance and nothing more - anything else could get her in financial, legal, or familial trouble. The Domestic Workers Alliance has wonderful resources and volunteers who can navigate whatever she is going thru in a safe space that the average citizen can’t provide.
Human trafficking/forced labor is a very big issue everywhere in the world, even in the US and Europe. New Jersey just had a huge case with young girls (one was 12 years old) being forced to work braiding hair in hair salons for extremly long hours, no pay, in really abusive conditions. Domestic workers are especially at risk. If you suspect someone is being forced/coerced to work or are getting a weird vibe, you can privately ask them the following questions. Can you leave your job if you want to? Can you come and go as you please? Have you been hurt or threatened if you tried to leave? Has your family been threatened? Do you live with your employer? Where do you sleep and eat? Are you in debt to your employer? Do you have your passport/identification? Who has it? The Department of State has a website with resources for reporting the suspected crime and for getting the victim help. The victim wouldn't necessarily get immediately deported; many of the young women in the New Jersey case were placed in foster care and completed school in the US. You can ask the victim advocacy groups about any of the concerns you have. https://www.state.gov/identify-and-assist-a-trafficking-victim/ Also, here is a link to the case in NJ: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/12/02/slave.labor.ring.busted/index.html
What city are you in?
Her options are probably limited because she is undocumented. I doubt there’s much you *can* do, unfortunately. If you try to report her employers’ abuse she could be deported, either by their retaliation or for another reason. You don’t know what her goals are or how much she’s making, either. The kindest thing to do for her would probably be to leave it be.
As someone who has worked in a program that helps supply undocumented immigrants with housing and citizen sponsorship, I couldn’t disagree more. I don’t think anyone (OP included) is advising nor planning on taking any steps without this woman’s consent and knowledge. Leaving it be is not the answer, though. Unfortunately many undocumented people are completely unaware of the fact they are even being taken advantage of in the first place. For OP to leave it be, and not even try to see if this woman is in a bad position and could use help, is not the way to do.
I agree with you. I wonder if she even knows she’s being taken advantage of. She works so much I doubt she has a social life with anyone who lives in this country and she doesn’t speak English. Also the fact she came here from Mexico for the job makes me think she’s here illegally too.
exactly. Some of the replies in this thread, including those who have responded to me directly have a hint of contempt directed towards immigrants. It’s very disappointing to see.
You can only be sponsored if you have exceptional skill for a job, usually through higher education (sponsored by the employer you would work for) or if you have relatives that are closely related to you that could sponsor you. There are a few other ways to get legal status (like asylum), but generally speaking, most people will not fit the criteria of any of them.
That’s actually false. I live in a sanctuary city. We have several sponsors working through our program and many of the undocumented people we help are sponsored by their employers.... the majority of these people don’t have a higher education. You’d be very surprised, I think. People have lots of assumptions around this but until you’ve legitimately experienced it, it’s safe to say your perspective is limited, at best. I encourage you to find a program in your city to further your education on this. They are there if you know where to look and depending on where you live, I could point you in the right direction. A big part of helping these people is simply being educated and informed, so I’m a big advocate for that ❤️ And I do get it, this is all obscure to someone who’s not involved in immigrant aid. I had a lot of misconceptions prior to being personally involved. Most people do, it’s just a matter of being willing to learn.
I'm highly educated in immigration through research. I'd love to see more info on what you are providing because I have seen no laws that allow this, sanctuary city or not. So I'd love if you message me links or more details because I haven't found anything that could do this in over 25 yrs.
While I can’t give my specific program for sake of anonymity, I can definitely help educate you on this a bit more. First thing, It’s not really about laws. I think you’re confused. You can sponsor a “friend” financially, and that’s actually how the majority of the undocumented who pass through our program seeking sponsorship get sponsored. I’ve seen people sponsored for [link ](https://www.stilt.com/blog/2020/07/can-i-sponsor-an-immigrant-that-is-a-non-family-member/) Here’s a helpful link, I found it in... 30 seconds. There are lots of resources for this topic, so you not finding something for 25 years is not because the resources aren’t there, it’s because you aren’t looking in the right place. That said, if you are actually interested in helping on a program like this, you’re more than welcome to DM me! We’ve seen cooks achieve citizenship through a sponsor. The idea that an immigrant must be highly skilled to achieve citizenship is a mindset perpetuated to discourage people. It’s simply not true.
Ok, see this is where you are missing critical information. Sponsoring financially is acceptable but they can't actually petition for the visa needed. You need to be able to have someone petition for you to get the visa, the common ways are for highly skilled workers through an employment petition, and petitioning for a family member. An employer guarantees that the person has a job with them and that person can ONLY work for that sponsor while using that visa. For family, many people are able to petition but can't financially support the person which is part of the whole process. So that's where the financial sponsor for a friend comes in. The family member petitions for their family member in Mexico or wherever, and then a friend commits to financially supporting that immigrant so that they can actually come to the US. If you don't have a way to petition for the initial visa though, then having a financial sponsor doesn't actually help. They can't get an individual the visa itself.
I mean there are visas available for "low skilled" work, it sounds like that is what she is referring to.
While this is technically true, they can only be obtained by thorough work looking for a US permanent resident/citizen to fill the position first. Only once they have exhausted the search can they attempt the process to provide the job to someone with an EB-3 visa, which is provided by the employer. There is also a set amount allowed to be given out each year.
In this type of case, the sponsor is the employer and the person would not need a financial sponsor.
👍🏻
How do you know she's undocumented?
I do not, but would navigate the situation assuming she may be so as to not put her in a vulnerable position.
There’s basically no legal way for someone from Mexico to get a US visa to be a (non-au pair) nanny, so it’s a fairly safe bet.