Three people were yesterday detained for questioning in New Taipei City over allegations that they illegally acted as employment brokers for “absconding” migrant workers, after the National Immigration Agency (NIA) arrested 31 foreign nationals in connection with the case.
Raids conducted in the past few days led to the breakup of “the largest illicit employment broker agency and migrant worker recruitment business in northern Taiwan,” the agency’s Specialized Operation Brigade in New Taipei City said.
An illegal broker agency allegedly run by the trio placed online ads for Taiwanese families looking for home care services by migrant workers, it said.
Photo: CNA
The three were identified as a 60-year-old man surnamed Chu (朱), his Indonesian girlfriend, whose name was not released, and a 62-year-old man surnamed Hsu (許) who is an acquaintance of the couple.
They had allegedly found jobs for more than 100 migrants, most of whom are Indonesians, as Chu’s girlfriend had built up contacts and networks among her compatriots, many of whom had reportedly gone missing from their legal employers, NIA officials said.
Investigators said the trio hired commercial designers to produce slick commercial Web sites and online ads for two businesses, Love Heart Professional Home Care Center (愛心專業看護中心) and Aishing Employment Broker Agency for Home Care Workers (愛馨看護派遣中心).
The Web sites and ads claimed that the agencies were legally registered and licensed and had a large pool of recruits who were married to Taiwanese and thus able to work legally, but the NIA said an investigation found the claims were not true
However, the Web sites were among the top search results for broker agencies offering home care by migrant workers in Taiwan, NIA officials said.
The agencies quoted daily rates of NT$2,000 to NT$2,200, and Chu or Hsu reportedly took 50 percent, apparently earning several millions over the past year, officials said.
Prosecutors said they intend to charge the trio for contravening the Employment Service Act (就業服務法) and that 30 Taiwanese who allegedly hired migrants through the agencies to work as caregivers would also be questioned and could face charges as well.
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