Involuntary Servitude/Slavery

The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution states, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist in the United States. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." These conditions, nevertheless, still exist in certain forms throughout the country. The majority of these cases typically involve migrant farm workers, immigrants, aliens or others who are forced to work under exploitative conditions and/or are held in involuntary servitude. Often these immigrants enter the country thinking that wonderful opportunities await them; however, once here, they are forced into involuntary servitude with little recourse for escape.

Researchers have suggested that immigrant populations are victimized by crime at rates similar to the general population but their rates of reporting crime are lower. Furthermore, because of differences in language, cultural expectations, etc., they have a more difficult time dealing with law enforcement and may, in fact, avoid law enforcement. Aliens encountered in these situations, who may be in the United States illegally and have therefore violated the law, are subject to deportation. The prospect of being forced to leave the United States, no matter how degrading the current living conditions, sometimes serves as a deterrent to reporting the situation to law enforcement.

Involuntary Servitude Initiatives

National Workers Exploitation Task Force

During April 1998, Attorney General Janet Reno announced the establishment of an inter-agency Workers Exploitation Task Force (WETF) of which the FBI is one of several participating agencies from the Department of Justice. The WETF's mission is to investigate, prosecute and prevent worker exploitation cases throughout the United States. These cases routinely demand a coordinated effort utilizing the resources and expertise of other agencies such as the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Department of Labor. This task force effort also includes an outreach effort to counteract the public's apparent lack of awareness of the existence of worker exploitation and involuntary servitude-related issues.