SANTO DOMINGO. - One numerous delegation of U.S. legislators, mainly from the Democratic Party, will come to the country to verify the situation of the manual labor that the sugar industry uses and to discuss the pros and cons of the Free Trade Agreement between the United States and the Dominican Republic.

Heading the mission is congressman Eliot L. Engel, of New York, member of the subcommittee for the Western Hemisphere, and founder and vice-president of the national security "caucus,", author of an initiative approved by the U.S. Congress to investigate the use of enslaved workers in Brazilian factories.

Engel is recognized for hiss fight against child slavery in Africa’s cacao plantations. The U.S. congressional investigation, which will follow with hearings next year, seeks to press the American-based companies ensure that their international suppliers of finished products or raw materials don’t use slave labor.

In the Dominican case, they will investigate denunciations from groups regarding Haitians working in infrahuman conditions in this country, and who are allegedly discriminated against and mistreated, living under conditions of insalubrity at the mills or bateyes near cane plantations.

The mission to Dominican Republic goes by his name, and accompanying Engel will be congressmen Jerry Weller, R-Illinois; Donald Payne,  New Jersey; Bill Delahunt,  Massachusetts; Barbara Lee, California; Kendrick Meek, Florida; Collin Peterson, Minnesota, and Maxine Waters and Lynn Woolsey, both from California.

On December 8 will come with them, the members of the Democrat subcommittee’s staff, along with 2 military officers, said a source quoted y the newspaper Listin Diario. The delegation’s probably members are Steve Chabot, Gregory Meeks, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Michael Capuano, who stated their interest in participating.

They will visit the mills Cristóbal Colon, in San Pedro, to verify the conditions in that the Haitian and Dominican workers, and also will participate in two panels on the pros and cons of the Dr-Cafta commercial treaty signed by the United States and Dominican Republic, but which has yet to take effect.

They will be received by president Leonel Fernandez in the National Palace on the day they arrive, and will participate in a supper in the Foreign minister Carlos Morales’ residence that night.

 The congressmen will remain in the country for 10 days and will have a working dinner with the U.S. ambassador Hans Hertell, in an as yet undisclosed location.