No one knows how many Chinese are being smuggled into the United
States, but credible estimates put the number at 50,000 arrivals
each year. Astonishing as this figure is, it represents only a
portion of the Chinese illegally residing in the United States.
Smuggled Chinese presents a detailed account of how this traffic is
conducted and what happens to the people who risk their lives to
reach Gold Mountain.
When the Golden Venture ran aground off New York's coast in 1993
and ten of the 260 Chinese on board drowned, the public outcry
about human smuggling became front-page news. Probing into the
causes and consequences of this clandestine traffic, Ko-lin Chin
has interviewed more than 300 people -- smugglers, immigrants,
government officials, and business owners -- in the United States,
China, and Taiwan. Their poignant and chilling testimony describes
a flourishing industry in which smugglers -- big and little
snakeheads -- command fees as high as $30,000 to move desperate but
hopeful men and women around the world. For many who survive the
hunger, filthy and crowded conditions, physical and sexual abuse,
and other perils of the arduous journey, life in the United States,
specifically in New York's Chinatown, is a disappointment if not a
curse. Few will return to China, though, because their families
depend on the money and status gained by having a relative in the
States.
In Smuggled Chinese, Ko-lin Chin puts a human face on this
intractable international problem, showing how flaws in national
policies and lax law enforcement perpetuate the cycle of
desperation and suffering. He strongly believes, however, that the
problem of human smuggling will continue as long as China'scitizens
are deprived of fundamental human rights and economic security.
Smuggled Chinese will engage readers interested in human rights,
Asian and Asian American studies, urban studies, and sociology.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!