Director’s Statement

“If you’ve just arrived in the U.S., unfamiliar with things and in urgent need of work, employment agency is the place for you,” a waiter from El Salvador I met in New Jersey once explained to me. He and his friends have a relatively negative feelings about these agencies. “Sometimes, they can’t even find you a job but still charge a fee. Other times, when they do place you, they take 30% of your paycheck every month otherwise you lose the job, unless you buy your way out by paying a large sum, like $700.”

The concept of employment agencies was entirely foreign to me, something I had never encountered growing up in China. My first exposure came during a visit to New York, where a friend—a Columbia Law School graduate running an immigrant law firm—offered an interesting observation. He explained how two institutions often play important roles for undocumented immigrants in the U.S.: immigration law firms, which navigate legal status, and employment agencies, which provide access to jobs. Both, he noted, serve essential purposes while ultimately prioritizing their own interests. I was deeply intrigued.

This documentary journeys through the hidden world of employment agencies in New York’s Flushing and Chinatown neighborhoods, uncovering their daily operations. These agencies act as a dot, connecting employers with job seekers while charging a fee for their services. It is evident that the agency’s goal is far from altruistic—operating as profit-driven businesses indifferent to the struggles of those they serve. Compassion, when present, is secondary to commerce. For undocumented immigrants, they represent both opportunity and exploitation.

At the heart of the film is Kim’s agency, a rare exception with its warm, sunlit office and family-oriented atmosphere. Founded by his mother in 2004 and later joined by Kim after his time in Argentina, their agency stands out in both design and its diverse client profile. Fluent in Spanish, Kim expanded their client base, attracting individuals from different backgrounds. Yet, even in this seemingly compassionate space, the power imbalance between agency staff and their undocumented clients is evident.

The film captures the uneasy dynamics of these encounters: clients, often anxious and vulnerable, face a system that diminishes their autonomy. Monthly paycheck deductions become a norm, a quiet reminder of the leverage agencies hold over those without work permits or English proficiency. For many undocumented immigrants, these agencies are a lifeline, offering the means to survive, but they are also a source of persistent dependency and exploitation.