Jackson Heights is like a small South Asia in Queens, New York. It is home to all colors and tastes of South Asia. Workers from different countries of the region toil on the streets here to earn a living. But, many work for almost nothing. The work of a diversity of South Asians –men and women, included undocumented – can be seen on display, from colorful bridal dresses and casual garments, stores glittering with jewelry, restaurants offering spicy South Asian cuisines, to the streets congested with limousines and cabs.

Hundreds of Bangladeshi women, who for years have worked at scores of boutiques and jewelry stores in the area, earn pennies for their labor. Should a worker be fired from a job, she will rarely find employment again from a business owner in this small South Asian island.

A South Asian woman, who works 12-hour a day at a jewelry shop, complained of mistreatment by her boss who repeatedly accused her of theft. When reminded that she could take her boss to the court, the woman said, "It's Jackson Heights. Here only Desi (South Asian traditional) laws are in force for Desis (people of South Asian origin)." She and her co-workers, who expertly make gold ornaments and bridal dresses all day, have to wait three to four weeks for their pay checks. It seems that the minimum wage law doesn't apply to these restaurant, store and kiosk workers from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Abdul Jabbar, an aged salesman and a native of Thanda, a village in south India, used to work in the Indian Consulate in Vietnam. He later migrated to the United States and has been living here ever since. Jabber, who doesn't hide his secular political beliefs and support for Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, shares a room with another worker from Pakistan. He says he has been selling saris and jewelry for the past several years and has been paid regularly by his employer. But many South Asians don't have Jabbar's good luck. There are many immigrant workers who toil at grocery stores and vegetable shops here as baggers and barely receive hourly wages. Many work just for the tips. Big jars are visible at most of these stores where customers leave tips for the workers; however, the employers rarely give these tips to their workers. One such businessman is Mr. Singh, owner of a coffee shop, who locks the tips jar so that no one but him can take the tip money out. He gives $40 per month to each of his workers out of this tips jar.

Undocumented immigrant workers seem to have no rights in the eyes of majority of Jackson Heights business owners. Most of them honor no labor laws and the workers enjoy no rights. The worst exploitation of workers takes place in the restaurants. Restaurant owners from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Tibet all have a converging point of interest – how to convert the hard working immigrants into money-making machines. In some cases, this trend has taken the shape of bonded labor, wherein the business owners show complete disregard to the labor laws.

Conditions in the construction industry in this part of New York are no different. The nouveau riche in the community, who made their fortunes in the construction industry employing both legal and illegal labor practices, are trying to take leadership roles. One example is a small-time Pakistani contractor known for his abuse of Latino workers who now is aiming for leadership in the community to remove the stigma from his name.

Such frauds are not just limited to the construction industry. Rumor has it that a former cab driver became a millionaire with a visa sponsorship scam. He has exalted his social status by buying dinner tickets at fundraising events for politicians, such as Hillary Clinton. Community journalists, social activists, clergymen and self-proclaimed community intellectuals are no different. All of them side with the exploiters and no one talks about the rights of immigrant workers.

A Bangladeshi woman worker complained that the local community newspapers don't write about the workers' problems because the businessmen give advertisements to these newspapers. The same is true of the Pakistani community media, which never speaks of the rights of South Asian workers and never calls for implementation of minimum wage laws.

But there is a glimmer of hope. Young workers can be frequently seen campaigning for trade unions outside South Asian stores early in the morning. Immigrants need to know their rights and the labor laws; they need to know about the existence of numerous labor unions in the area and community organizations that advocate for the immigrant workers rights in Queens. Community organizations such as DRUM (Desis Rising Up and Moving) are very active on the Roosevelt Avenue. Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AADELF) has been successful in protecting the rights many Chinese workers. U.S. labor law does not allow discrimination on the basis of immigration status. This is the reality that every one must know.