During the Cold War, Congress created cultural exhange program called the J Visa Program. The intention of the act was to "increase understanding between people of the United States and those in other countries through educational and cultural exchange. Although the program has good intentions, critics say that the program has turned into nothing more than a pipeline for cheap foreign labor. This pipeline for cheap labor often leads to mistreated and abused workers from across the world. Over 300,000 people come into the United States annually for this program and they do not have workplace or wage protections. J1 Workers have recently stated that they had low wages, filthy living conditions, and economic exploitation. It has become a smart strategy for American companies because they save on wages, federal and state taxes, healthcare and pension plans.
The exploitation and mistreatment of workers, both foreign and domestic, is part of a continuously growing social problem. The richer class is using poor people to their advantage to do all of the work, and then only the upper class is receiving the money received from the work. Workers are forced to live and work in brutal conditions without the necessary conditions to survive. They do not receive wages comparable to the normal worker, and are forced to live in apartments without electricity and often even water. Companies are helping themselves by making more and more profits while not holding up to their moral obligation to treat people fairly and without abuse. They are bringing people from other countries who want to learn about our country and gain workplace experience, and are instead being sucked into this modern day form of slavery.
http://www.pri.org/stories/world/student-visas-or-labor-exploitation6299.html
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