Immigration

The 11 Filipino workers in Los Angeles, who last month won a $15.3 million federal court judgment for the human trafficking and labor violations of their former employer, have obtained visas to stay in the United States with the help of a member of Congress.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), who helped the workers win new visas in order to stave off deportation and fight their civil case, said he wants to see their employers taken to court on criminal charges for human trafficking.

LOS ANGELES - With their families by their side, along with Congressman Ted Lieu and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice, eleven Filipino bakery workers celebrated a sweet victory receiving their trafficking visas.

"The joy we felt after all these years of stressful situation is indescribable," said bakery worker Armie Dela Cerna.

"They're now able to have some relief for at least three years and we really have appreciated their courage to stand up," Stewart Kwoh of Asian Americans Advancing Justice said.

Washington, DC – Today, Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) released the following statements on the passage of the FY2017 Legislative Branch Appropriations Act (H.R. 5325), which includes a provision that will require the Library of Congress to continue using the terms “illegal alien” and “alien” in its subject headings. In March, the Library decided to replace these terms with the words “noncitizens” and “unauthorized immigration” after a lengthy review.

Eleven Filipino guest workers now have visas to work in the U.S. The workers, as one says, are "survivors" of human trafficking.

Earlier, they won a 15-million dollar judgment again L'Amande French Bakery. Their attorney says the Torrance and Beverly Hills bakeries are now closed.

With their families now by their side the workers spoke out about their ordeal. They say they were forced to work 17 hour days, at three dollars an hour. They say their boss humiliated them. After being lured from the Philippines they say they were told they owed their boss eleven thousand dollars.

FILIPINO workers, who prevailed in a yearlong legal battle against the owners of a French bakery in Southern California, now have temporary authorization to live and work in the US.

After winning a $15.2 million case against the owners of the now shuttered L’Amande Bakery (which had locations in Torrance and Beverly Hills), the 11 plaintiffs have been awarded T visas, which allow victims of human trafficking to temporarily live and work in the United States.

After a year-long legal battle resulting in a $15.2 million default judgment last month, the 11 victims of human trafficking who sued the owners of L’Amande French Bakery were also recently granted T visas, also known as T Nonimmigrant Status. T visas provide victims of human trafficking temporary legal status and work authorization and allow them to bring their families to the U.S.