About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 2024)
4A Thursday, March 21, 2024 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia I gainesvilletimes.com NATION/WORLD AP finds grueling conditions in Indian shrimp industry Mahesh Kumar A. Associated Press Workers peel shrimp in a tin-roofed processing shed in the hamlet of the Tallarevu, in Kakinada district, in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, Sunday, Feb. 11. India became America’s leading shrimp supplier, accounting for about 40% of the shrimp consumed in the U.S., after media reports including an AP investigation exposed modern day slavery in the Thai seafood industry. BY MARTHA MENDOZA, MAHESH KUMAR AND PIYUSH NAGPAL Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — Noriko Kuwabara was excited to try a new recipe she'd seen on social media for crispy shrimp spring rolls, so she and her husband headed to Costco’s frozen foods aisle. But when she grabbed a bag of farm-raised shrimp from the freezer and saw “Product of India," she wrinkled her nose. “I actually try to avoid shrimp from India," said Kuwabara, an artist. “I hear some bad things about how it's grown there.” She sighed and tossed the bag in her cart anyway. Kuwabara's dilemma is one an increasing number of American consumers face: With shrimp the leading seafood eaten in the United States, the largest supplier in this country is India, where the industry struggles with labor and environmental problems. The Associated Press traveled in February to the state of Andhra Pradesh in southeast India to document working conditions in the booming industry, after obtaining an advance copy of an investigation released Wednesday by the Chicago-based Corporate Accountability Lab, a human rights legal group, that found workers face “dangerous and abusive conditions.” AP journalists obtained access to shrimp hatcheries, growing ponds, peeling sheds and warehouses, and interviewed workers, supervisors and union organizers. India became America's leading shrimp supplier, accounting for about 40% of the shrimp consumed in the U.S., in part because media reports including an AP investigation exposed modern day slavery in the Thai seafood industry. AP's 2015 reporting led to the freedom of some 2,000 enslaved fishermen and prompted calls for bans of Thai shrimp, which had been dominating the market. In India, residents told the AP newly dug hatcheries and ponds had contaminated neighboring communities' water and soil, making it nearly impossible to grow crops, especially rice they depend on for food. From the ponds, trucks hauled the shrimp to peeling sheds. In one shed, dozens of women, some barefoot, stood on narrow wooden benches enduring 10-hour shifts peeling shrimp covered in crushed ice. Barehanded or wearing filthy, torn gloves, the women twisted off the heads, pulled off the legs and pried off the shells, making it possible for American cooks to simply tear open a bag and toss the shrimp in a skillet. From India, the shrimp travels by the ton, frozen in shipping containers, to the U.S., more than 8,000 miles away. It is nearly impossible to tell where a specific shrimp ends up, and whether a U.S.-bound shipment has a connection to abusive labor practices. And Indian shrimp is regularly sold in major U.S. stores such as Walmart, Target and Sam's Club and supermarkets like Kroger and Safeway. The major corporations that responded to AP's queries said they deplore human rights violations and environmental damage and would investigate. “If we learn that serious issues may be present in a supplier facility, whether through allegations made or audits, we deploy Walmart investigators to gather facts through on-site visits to facilities or through other means,” Walmart, the world's largest retailer, said in a statement. “As such, we are looking into the allegations raised by the Associated Press.” Pradeep Sivaraman, secretary of India's Marine Products Export Development Authority, a government agency, traveled to the U.S. this month to represent his country's shrimp industry on the bustling floor of the Seafood Expo North America in Boston. A chef at India's booth sauteed a sizzling shrimp curry in front of a case filled with frozen shrimp. Before ending a brief interview, Sivaraman said India is committed to providing quality shrimp to U.S. buyers. He refused to answer questions about labor and environmental problems. Following Texas, GOP states push tougher immigration policy BY JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Republican lawmakers across the country were already jockeying to push their states deeper into immigration enforcement when the Supreme Court, if only briefly, let Texas enforce a new law giving police broad powers to arrest migrants suspected of crossing the border illegally. Within hours Tuesday, another court blocked the Texas law again. The same day, Iowa passed a similar bill. In New Hampshire, lawmakers are nearing passage of legislation to let police bring trespassing charges against people suspected of illegally entering the U.S. from Canada. And in Georgia, Republicans have advanced a proposal requiring eligible cities and counties to seek agreements to perform some immigration-related enforcement in jails to help the federal government after police accused a Venezuelan man of beating nursing student Laken Riley to death on the University of Georgia campus. Immigration authorities say the man unlawfully crossed into the U.S. in 2022. It is unclear whether he had applied for asylum. On Wednesday, the state Senate honored Riley's family. During the ceremony, her father, Jason Riley, blamed immigrant- protecting sanctuary policies in Athens, where University of Georgia is located, for his daughter's death and urged Gov. Brian Kemp to declare an “invasion,” the same argument Texas has used to defend a series of escalating measures along the border. Last month, a federal judge in Texas rejected those claims while blocking the state's new arrest law. “A man with an evil heart stole her life. He was in this country and in this state illegally,” Jason Riley said. “I'm begging every senator in this chamber that you protect citizens from this illegal invasion.” Meanwhile, it's yet to be seen whether a number of other Republican-led states, many of which are pushing different bills and sending their National Guard members to the border, will embrace the Texas-style bill, particularly if another court ruling favors the state. The Biden administration is suing to block the Texas measure, arguing it's a clear violation of federal authority that would cause chaos in immigration law and wreak havoc on international relations. Tennessee lawmakers are approaching the finish line on a proposal to require law enforcement agencies there to communicate with federal immigration authorities if they discover people are in the country illegally. But for the brief time Texas had the all-clear to enforce its law Tuesday, the Tennessee House and Senate speakers expressed openness to considering a similar policy. “We are monitoring the Texas situation as Gov. Abbott works to protect his state,” House Speaker Cameron Sexton said. “I support his efforts to preserve their sovereignty and their border.” Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, said these kinds of immigration policies are typically driven by political motivation and come with serious complications for resource- strapped law enforcement agencies that are generally untrained in immigration enforcement. “The Supreme Court may finally rule on this issue, and it's anyone's guess as to which way they rule, but I think until they rule on the merits, states will probably keep their powder dry,” Chishti said. Under Iowa's bill, entering the state after previously being denied entry to the U.S. would become an aggravated misdemeanor, or a felony under some circumstances, such as when arrested while committing a different felony. “The federal government has abdicated its responsibilities and states can and must act,” Republican Rep. Steven Holt said. Democratic Rep. Sami Scheetz argued that immigration was constitutionally reserved for the federal government. “Illegal immigration is a serious problem that requires action, yet the approach laid out in this bill misses the heart of what it truly means to address this issue with compassion, wisdom and effectiveness,” Scheetz said. If signed by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, the law will take effect July 1. New Hampshire's border bill dealing with Canada, meanwhile, would follow only 21 apprehensions in the state between October 2022 and December 2023, even as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforcement area that includes New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Maine has seen a dramatic increase in illegal border activity since 2021. The Republican-led New Hampshire Senate passed the trespassing bill last month. Republicans have a slimmer House majority, but the bill's sponsor, Senate President Jeb Bradley, expects it to pass. Even though the Texas law is again on hold, the former U.S. representative said he thinks courts are moving toward giving states more authority, boding well for legislation like his. a Apartments FOR RENT RPC Partners 2 Bedrin. 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