US takes on illegal Israeli kiosk workers

United States authorities have decided to take a stand against the popular phenomenon of foreigners, mostly Israelis, working illegally in kiosks and stands located in American shopping malls.

The US Consulate in Tel Aviv published a YouTube video to discourage young Israelis fresh out of their army service from coming to work illegally across American by telling the tales of those captured by US authorities, questioned and deported from country.

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In the video, Israeli citizens describe how they arrived in US without a proper visa only to return back home after being blacklisted. They depict how they were refused entry and give an account of their arrest, the tremendous financial costs and of their great feeling of embarrassment.

Watch US video warning Israelis of illegally working in country:

US diplomats attemped to refute the reassuring myths regarding the danger of getting caught, explaining that most of the people arrested for immigration felonies are sent to a regular jail, "with killers and rapists in the next cell."

However many feel these deportation threats and a simple YouTube video are not enough to prevent young Israelis from fulfilling their dream of fast cash in the US.

Constant fear, fast cash

David recalls how he and seven of his friends worked at a kiosk in Texas nearly four years ago. "People are careful not to get into car accidents which might lead to a car search and the discovery of the products you sell," he said.

"Today I wouldn't risk getting blacklisted," added David. He believes this new campaign might minimize significantly the number of Israeli who chose to work illegally in the US. "They are not as naïve as they seem in this video… but I'm sure it'll get them thinking and cause many of them to give up such a job."

N, from the north, said she is not fearful of such threats and plans to work in a US kiosk once more come Christmas. "I know it's risky… but this job helped my pay for school. It’s a huge income in a short amount of time."

She refused to believe that this campaign would be effective. "Those who have done it are not as sacred, and those who haven't – well, I'm not sure this video, which looks a bit pathetic, would stop them."

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According to the US embassy, illegal kiosk labor is a wide spread phenomenon which hinders Israel's status and its addition to the list of countries whose citizen can enter the US without a visa.

As of now, the US Consulate refused to grant entry visas to newly dismissed IDF soldiers.

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