An Illinois woman was arrested after she held 33 Guatemalan immigrants, including children, in her basement, forcing them to work and threatening them with deportation, federal authorities said. It’s unclear if the Guatemalans were in the country legally, however a victim told authorities he believed a majority of them had claimed political asylum. To pay her back, Malinek allegedly forced them to work in a factory in Romeoville and took them to and from their workplace in a white passenger van. The 49-year-old kept track of the Guatemalans’ debts in a ledger, which appeared to contain signatures and “contract-type language regarding the debts owed to Malinek,” authorities said. Malinek allegedly kept her captives quiet about the scheme by threatening deportation and dared them to call immigration officials.

Source: Fox News March 28, 2019 16:18 UTC