The employment agency is nestled on the third floor above a shop in New York City. No sign outside suggests its existence. Inside, there is an undecorated, white-walled office where a dozen middle-aged Chinese immigrants sit and wait in nervous silence. The owner of the agency is a heavyset woman. She snacks on walnuts from a foam cup as she considers people’s job requests.
“I have a job as a cook at a Vietnamese restaurant,” she tells a man in his 50s.
“A Vietnamese restaurant?” he asks. “But I’ve never had Vietnamese food.”
“It’s just noodles,” she says. “They use a different sauce than we do. That’s all. Give them a call and try it out for a day.”
He pays $60 for the job offer. I catch the tail end of this conversation. It is not clear where the restaurant is located.
“Were you smuggled in?” the agency owner asks me.
“No,” I say.
-truthdig
