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Lin’s garment factory raided • Labor and immigration agents arrest nine workers
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Posted on Jul 26 2000
Nine people were arrested and detained by agents of the Department of Labor and Immigration during a surprise inspection of the UIC garment factory in San Antonio at dawn yesterday, according to officials.
Assistant Attorney General Andrew Clayton, legal counsel for the department, said the inspection was part of the DOLI’s compliance monitoring operations.
A search warrant had been issued by Superior Court Associate Judge Timothy H. Bellas prior to the operation as the U.S. District Court on Saipan has already ruled that the government cannot inspect factories without a warrant, he said.
About 30 labor and immigration agents conducted the inspection which began at 2:00 a.m. and lasted until early yesterday morning.
UIC, owned by businessman James Lin and one of the biggest garment manufacturers on Saipan, sews clothes for giant U.S. clothing companies and retailers, including Gap, Inc.
Mr. Clayton said the nine people currently being detained are still under investigation. He declined to provide other details, such as their nationalities and reasons for their arrest, saying only that “we don’t believe that they should be there in the factory.”
Several documents were also seized during the inspection, added Mr. Clayton. The department is expected to complete its investigation this Friday, he said.
In 1998, the CNMI government began its round of unannounced inspections and visits to several garment factories on the island in line with its campaign to monitor compliance by manufacturers on both local and federal laws.
But the operations stopped after the federal court barred DOLI last January from conducting inspection without first obtaining a warrant from the court.
The Commonwealth has come under fire in recent years over its handling of local labor and immigration functions largely due to the number of guest workers here.
But island leaders have responded to the allegations by pointing out several reforms implemented over the past two years which they believe have tremendously improved working and living conditions in the CNMI.
