20,000 Indian prisoners illegally lodged in American jails: they are forced to work, and if refused, they would have been locked in a dark cell

More than 20,000 Indians are illegally lodged in US jails. Undocumented prisoners are forced to work in these jails. Through this, jails earn big money but pay them almost nothing. Prisoners who refuse to work are locked in dark cells.

A human rights investigation revealed that US prisons have become an industry. Every year 11 billion dollars i.e. 91 thousand crore rupees are earned by making prisoners work. However, the inmates only get paid for one hour of work. Their annual minimum wage has been fixed at $450.

Prisoners don't even have money to buy soap

Investigator Jennifer tells Bhaskar that the condition of the illegal prisoners in the jail is pathetic. The jails claim that they do not have enough funds to pay proper wages to these inmates. But our investigation has revealed that prisons earn billions of dollars by making inmates work as laborers. Even after this, the prisoners are exploited. Sometimes the prisoners do not even have the money to buy soap or make a phone call in jail.

Private companies run prisons in America. The more prisoners there are in these jails, the more the companies will benefit from the government. 80% of the work of the jails is done by the prisoners living in them. This includes jobs like cleaning, repair work, and laundry. Apart from this, outside companies also give contracts for making table chairs and other items to the jails. These are also made from jail inmates, who refuse to work, then are locked alone in their cells. Sometimes even the family is not allowed to meet.

Arrests of undocumented Indians double in one year

A Punjabi of Indian origin who entered the US border through Mexico told me that I was imprisoned in California jail for a year. This is like a nightmare for me. We were not even allowed to wear turbans and bracelets there. Even those who eat vegetarian food are forced to eat meat.

If you can't hire a lawyer, you don't get bail

In most cases of cross-border infiltration, prisoners get bail within a year, but many prisoners do not even have the money to hire a lawyer, so they are forced to remain in jail. Out of 60,000 Indians arrested in America in 2022, 40,000 got bail, but 20,000 are still lodged in jails.

Also Read: US-India: America issued 1.25 lakh student visas to Indian students in 2022, and all old records broken