US visa requirements leave foreign fishermen out at sea

A person is guaranteed certain rights when they come to the United States for work. They have a right to fair pay and to humane working conditions. But for fishermen, whose feet never touch solid ground, those rights don’t apply.

That was the case for 24 Filipino fishermen, who, starting last fall, spent months docked at Westport Marina in Grays Harbor, west of Olympia.

A new report from Cascade PBS tells the story of the fishermen, who were unable to leave their ship, even after it was listed as abandoned.

It turns out the case is not uncommon when it comes to the people responsible for catching and preparing seafood.

Soundside host Libby Denkmann sat down with Cascade PBS investigative reporters Lizz Giordano and Farah Eltohamy to learn more.

Those fishermen were never granted U.S. visas, even though they were working for an American company.

"There's not actually a visa category for fishermen," Eltohamy said. "So these men were basically stuck on international waters, and had no way of stepping onto U.S. land."

If they did step on land, they could face fines of up to $5,000.

Not having a work visa doesn't just mean not coming on shore. When a person doesn't have a work visa, no one is monitoring their working conditions, Giordano said.

Most of the Filipino fishermen stranded in Grays Harbor have now returned to the Philippines. But six remain in Seattle. Called the "United 6," the group stayed to demand their full wages, which have yet to be provided.

"The definition of forced labor is that you're working under some sort of threat. For example, in this case, the men were under the threat of, if we get off the boats, we're gonna be like charged $5,000," Eltohamy said. "It's very interesting seeing that there's no visa protections, despite the fact that there's so many risks involved with the job."

Listen to the full conversation by hitting the play button at the top of the page.