Russ Feingold: “I rise today because I share the concern of many of my colleagues about the situation in the Commonwealth of the…”

“I rise today because I share the concern of many of my colleagues about the situation in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. I especially thank my colleagues from Alaska and Hawaii for their leadership, and I am very glad this legislation is before us. Allegations of human trafficking, grossly sub-standard working conditions, deceitful recruitment practices, even indentured servitude, must be taken seriously--particularly when these practices are alleged to occur on American soil. I also rise to highlight some very relevant issues about which I am deeply concerned. As we consider the case of the CNMI, we must recognize that there are other examples of this kind of international exploitation, and that such practices often find their roots in organized crime syndicates that span boundaries, and patterns of corruption that cross borders. In fact, according to a report issued by the nongovernmental organization, the Global Survival Network, on the situation in the CNMI, . . . organized crime groups from the People's Republic of China, South Asia, and Japan reap large profits from human trafficking. Chinese provincial government agencies reportedly collude with Chinese traffickers by pocketing a percentage of passport fees paid by Chinese immigrants. Chinese criminal groups have moved part of their operations to the CNMI, where they operate significant gambling and money-lending operations.”