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Crosscurrents

"Techsploitation," an examination of labor trafficking in the US

Center for Investigative Reporting

The Center for Investigative Reporting is experimenting with bringing investigative journalism in many formats, from everything from print to live performance to animation. One of their latest projects is Techsploitation, a graphic novel that looks at shady employment practices in the tech world.

Techsploitation focuses on H-1B visas, which allow U.S. companies to temporarily employ foreign nationals in jobs like information technology. But, some third-party brokers are exploiting these mostly South Asian workers. KALW's Hana Baba sat down with CIR’s Matt Smith to explain.

MATT SMITH: The big question in recruiting tech workers from abroad is: is it for purposes of finding skills that we lack in this country, or is it for purposes of exploiting people that are in a really vulnerable position?

Crosscurrents
Hana Baba is host of Crosscurrents, KALW's weeknight newsmagazine that broadcasts on KALW Public Radio in the San Francisco Bay Area.