Duckworth: We Must Honor El Monte Garment Workers' Sacrifices in Most Appropriate Way Possible—by Further Strengthening Labor Rights
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Department of Labor (DOL) Acting Secretary Julie Su in a ceremony to induct the 81 El Monte garment workers into the DOL Hall of Honor. In the 1980s, these men and women were tricked into coming to the United States under false pretenses, only to have their passports and rights stripped from as they were forced into what amounted to modern-day slavery. In her remarks, Duckworth expressed her gratitude that these heroes have channeled the pain they endured into a passion for advocating for others' rights, trying to ensure that no other worker would ever again have to experience such horrors on American soil.
Key quotes:
- “[T]here are no words that could do justice to the injustice done to the 81 workers whom we’re honoring this afternoon. There is no sentence that could express the right sentiment. Not even close. So let me start off by just saying a simple thank you. Thank you to those 81 heroes who lived the unimaginable, yet who somehow managed to transform their anguish into a purpose… into a mission.”
- “Our nation is forever in debt to these men and women for the treatment they faced right here at home. But we are also, now, forever thankful for how they used that experience to push the country that had so wronged them to do right by others. Now, because of their efforts, our Union is more united than ever in its efforts to keep safe every worker who calls it home.”
- “While we will never be able to repay what was taken from you all those years ago, please know that…today, tomorrow and the tomorrow after that, we will work as hard as we can to honor your legacy in the most fitting way possible: By striving to ensure that no other American—no other human being—is forced to endure this kind of inhumanity ever again.”
Duckworth’s full remarks as prepared below:
Hello everyone!
First off, I want to thank Acting Secretary Su for inviting me here today.
It’s an honor to be asked to speak to you all about our inductees—but really, it’s also an impossible task.
That’s because there are no words that could do justice to the injustice done to the 81 workers… the 81 human souls… whom we’re honoring this afternoon.
There is no sentence that could express the right sentiment.
Not even close.
So let me start off by just saying a simple thank you.
Thank you to those heroes who lived the unimaginable, yet who somehow managed to transform the pain they endured into a passion for helping others…
Who turned their anguish into a purpose… into a mission…
Who worked so tirelessly to ensure that the kind of barbarity they experienced never again disgraces America’s shores.
As you all know, beginning in the 1980s, 81 Thai workers were coerced into modern-day slavery.
Tricked into leaving their homes in Thailand, they put their faith in an America that turned a blind eye as they were held captive for years in a sweatshop in California…
Their passports, money and lives stolen from them…
Forced to work 18-hour days making less than two dollars an hour, while their captors charged them more than that paltry amount for basic necessities…
Trapped by barbed wires. Surrounded by armed guards.
As one survivor said: “We were treated like animals trapped in a cage.”
Eventually, someone managed to escape, leading law enforcement to raid the compound.
Yet even then, the rest of the workers were not free. They were forced into orange jumpsuits… placed into federal immigration detention and shackled… their rights denied once more as they were threatened with deportation.
But somehow… despite the odds… despite all they had suffered… everything and everyone they had lost… they came together.
And after being silenced for so long, they raised their voices so loud that the outside world could not help but hear them.
It is only thanks to their resilience and brilliance… their courage and conviction… that the so-called “land of the free” learned of the modern-day slavery still taking place on its own soil.
They found their power, years after it had been wrested from them. And with the help of the advocates… attorneys… public servants… and law enforcement agents who fought by their side, they finally tasted the freedom that America had long promised.
Our nation is forever in debt to these 81 men and women for the treatment they were forced to face right here at home.
But we are also, now, forever thankful for how they used that experience to push the country that had so wronged them to do right by others.
Now, because of their efforts, our Union is more united than ever in its efforts to keep safe every worker who calls it home.
Now, thanks in good part to them, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act has been the law of the land for decades.
Now, there are federal interagency task forces that specialize in preventing these types of atrocities.
And there are visas dedicated to protecting those brave enough to blow the whistle on forced labor practices… guaranteeing that their immigration status can no longer be used against them.
I could go on and on. But really, it all boils down to the two words I began these remarks with: Thank you.
While we will never be able to repay what was taken from you all those years ago, please know that we are in awe of you…
That we are eternally grateful for you…
And that today, tomorrow and the tomorrow after that, we will work as hard as we can to honor your legacy in the most fitting way possible:
By striving to ensure that no other American… no other human being… is forced to endure this kind of inhumanity ever again.
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