What's Wrong With The Word Immigrant?
10/30/2007
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Mahender and Varsha Sabhnani are a wealthy Indian couple accused of keeping two Indonesian girls as slaves on Long Island, and torturing them.I've mentioned this case before, and here it is again—while the Times of India had the headline Indian couple held for torturing maids in US the headlines in the US say "Millionaire" and they don't use the word "immigrant" for either victims or criminals. Here's how a Dallas TV station describes the Sabhnanis's immigration history:

One of the servants came to Long Island in 2002; the second in 2005. Prosecutors say the Sabhnanis confiscated their passports.

Varsha Sabhnani is originally from Indonesia and her husband is from India; both are U.S. citizens.

If convicted, the Sabhnanis, who have four children and run a perfume business in their home, could face as much as 40 years in prison.Servants Say Millionaire Pair Savaged Them - News Story - KXAS | Dallas

I swear that if they were being profiled for running a motel or a 7-Eleven, the story would have the word "Immigrant" in the headline. It would be part of the "immigrant experience" in American history.

It's still part of the "immigrant experience" in American history but it's not called that.

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