Iain Lees-Galloway
MP for Palmerston North
Immigration Spokesperson
MEDIA STATEMENT

26 September 2016

Foreign Students just a commodity to National

National MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi has confirmed that his party sees international students as nothing more than a commodity, says Labour's Immigration spokesperson Iain Lees-Galloway.

"Mr Bakshi’s appalling comparison of some students to 'faulty fridges' that should be returned to their manufacturer shows how little interest National has in the welfare of foreign students.

"It clearly hasn't occurred to Mr Bakshi that these people are human beings who have fallen into the Government's broken immigration system.

"Many international students are falling victim to a cycle of exploitation. They are exploited in their home country by dodgy immigration agents. They are exploited by rogue employers in New Zealand. They are exploited by fringe education providers who turn a blind eye to their plight while they take their money for inferior courses.

"Mr Bakshi's comments put him firmly on the side of those who exploit international students. He should do more than apologise. He should accept that students are people, not commodities, and get his party to sort out the rampant exploitation of migrants in this country," says Iain Lees -Galloway.

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