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The Facts:

Public records show that despite sufficient evidence demonstrating a human trafficking, Tolentino's parents, Noel Cedro Tolentino and Florita Cedro Tolentino, were not formally indicted on the more serious charge of human trafficking as part of a plea deal that reduced charges to (1) Conspiracy to Defraud the Government, (2) Visa Fraud, (3) Destruction of Records,(4) Misprison of a Felony, and (5) Money Laundering as part of a larger investigation into their business, Omni Consortium, that recruited educators from the Philippines and illegally profited from their migration onto U.S. territory through a series of predatory tactics, including "involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage." Court documents show that Omni operated by providing each recruit with loans through a third party lender (Blue Pacific), who, "with the knowledge and consent of the Tolentinos," charged each recruit up to between a 50% - 60% interest rate on loans of approximately $12,000. Further, if "recruits" failed to make a payment, despite remaining unemployed for weeks or months after arriving in the United States through Omni (who promised employment upon arrival), an additional "ten-percent (10%) penalty to the loan payment, plus an additional five-percent (5%) interest." Blue Pacific also required that each “recruit” have a co-signer in the Phillipines: co-signers were threatened with jail-time if “recruits” were unable to make monthly payments.

Court documents show that Omni operated by providing each recruit with loans through a third party lender (Blue Pacific), who, "with the knowledge and consent of the Tolentinos," charged each recruit up to between a 50% - 60% interest rate on loans of approximately $12,000. Further, if "recruits" failed to make a payment, despite remaining unemployed for weeks or months after arriving in the United States through Omni (who promised employment upon arrival), an additional "ten-percent (10%) penalty to the loan payment, plus an additional five-percent (5%) interest." Blue Pacific also required that each “recruit” have a co-signer in the Phillipines: co-signers were threatened with jail-time if “recruits” were unable to make monthly payments.

In response to the abuse endured under the Tolentinos, as evidenced by court documents, one victim (name redacted in court documents) filed a "T Nonimmigrant Status" application with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is granted to individuals who (1) have been "a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons, as defined in section 103 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000", (2) is physically present in the United States… on account of such trafficking, (3) has complied with any reasonable request for assistance in the investigation or prosecution of acts of trafficking, and (4) "the alien would suffer extreme hardship involving unusual and severe harm

upon removal"

The victim met condition 3 after working with a law enforcement agency in compiling evidence in support of an alleged human trafficking ring that led to the prosecution of the Tolentinos. In reviewing of the victim's application after the prosecution of the Tolentinos, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services determined that the victim was in fact a victim of human trafficking: “Upon review, the applicant has established that she has been a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons''', and that her physical presence in the United States is on account of a severe form of human trafficking in persons, as required by sections lOl(a)(lS)(T)(i)(I) and (11) of the Act. However, the applicant has not shown that she would suffer extreme hardship involving unusual and severe harm upon removal, as required by section 101(a)(l S)(T)(i)(IV) of the Act."

Source: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/err/D12%20-%20Application%20for%20T%20Nonimmigrant%20Status/Decisions_Issued_in_2007/Nov262007_02D12101.pdf

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Thank you for writing this. It's nice to read some actual quality journalism about an important issue.

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Oct 14, 2022Liked by Esha

Corruption and usury, two major evils of human kind.

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5% interest compounded monthly isn’t 60%? Otherwise seems sound

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Erratum: Corazon Aquinas, should be Corazon Aquino.

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