HONOLULU (AP) — Authorities in Hawaii may have been violating their own state law for years by issuing commercial fishing licenses to thousands of foreign workers who were refused entry into the United States.
The Associated Press has found that about 700 of these men are currently confined to vessels in Honolulu without visas, some making less than $1 an hour.
Hawaii requires that one must be “lawfully admitted” to the U.S. to obtain a state commercial fishing license.
Hawaii’s boat owners pay brokers up to $10,000 for each crew member sent from abroad. Because the workers don’t have visas, they aren’t allowed to arrive at Honolulu’s airport. Instead, they’re flown to foreign ports and put on fishing boats for long sails back to Hawaii.
Before they start working, they need a commercial fishing license. And in order to get that, Hawaii requires that they are “lawfully admitted” to the U.S. As proof of legal admission, state officials point to landing permits issued to all fishermen by Customs agents when the men arrive at the dock.
But it turns out that Customs agents stamp “refused” on all the landing permits, which voids them. So instead of being “lawfully admitted,” the fishermen are actually barred by law from setting foot in the U.S.
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155-c-20-(Margie Mason, AP correspondent)-“suspect human trafficking”-AP correspondent Margie Mason reports Hawaii’s commercial industry has been taking steps to protect foreign crew members. (10 Feb 2017)
<<CUT *155 (02/10/17)££ 00:20 "suspect human trafficking"
154-c-16-(Margie Mason, AP correspondent)-“potential for exploitation”-AP correspondent Margie Mason reports the commercial fishing industry conducted its own assessment following an AP report that found some 700 foreign crew members end up confined to vessels in Honolulu because they do not have U.S. visas. (10 Feb 2017)
<<CUT *154 (02/10/17)££ 00:16 "potential for exploitation"
152-c-12-(Margie Mason, AP correspondent)-“to cash it”-AP correspondent Margie Mason reports Hawaii has been issuing commercial fishing licenses to thousands of foreign crew members even though they lack visas and are refused entry to the United States. (10 Feb 2017)
<<CUT *152 (02/10/17)££ 00:12 "to cash it"
APPHOTO BKWS314: FILE – In this March 24, 2016, file photo, a United States Coast Guard team moves toward an American fishing vessel off the coast of Honolulu for an inspection. Hawaii authorities may have been violating their own state laws for years by issuing commercial fishing licenses to thousands of foreign workers who have been refused entry into the United States, The Associated Press has found. About 700 of these men are currently confined to vessels in Honolulu without visas, some making less than $1 an hour. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones, File) (24 Mar 2015)
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APPHOTO BKWS313: FILE – In this Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016, file photo, a federal law enforcement officer talks to foreign fishermen in Hawaii’s commercial fleet during a vessel inspection in Honolulu. Hawaii authorities may have been violating their own state laws for years by issuing commercial fishing licenses to thousands of foreign workers who have been refused entry into the United States, The Associated Press has found. About 700 of these men are currently confined to vessels in Honolulu without visas, some making less than $1 an hour. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones, File) (20 Oct 2016)
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