<p class="title">Indian migrants working near Rome say Italy's far-right politicians may talk about curbing immigration but they say the European nation cannot manage without their cheap labor.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Politicians, in order to win votes, keep saying things like, 'We Italians', 'Italians first', 'Our people'," said Gurmukh Singh, 47, head of the Indian Community Association.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"If our people go away if everyone goes back to India, can the Italians work in these fields being paid 4 euros, 3.50 or 2.90 euros?" he said. "There is certainly enough work to go around in Italy."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The far-right League, led by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, is expected to emerge as Italy's leading party in Sunday's European parliamentary election, campaigning under the slogan "Italy First".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Salvini has promised to deport more illegal migrants from Italy, where many migrants have landed by boat from North Africa. He has often blamed immigrants for criminal activities.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Rights groups accuse Salvini of fanning racism and intolerance. They question threats to enact mass deportations, saying he has not done so during his first 12 months in office.</p>.<p class="bodytext">As many as 30,000 Indians, mostly Sikhs from India's Punjab state, live in the Pontine Marshes region, where agriculture expanded after the area was drained in the 1930s.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Some of the workers do not have official documentation, members of the community say.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Many of the workers cycle long distances from cramped accommodation to pick fruit and vegetables for up to 13 hours a day, earning between three and five euros ($3.30-$5.50) an hour, well below the industry's minimum wage of about eight euros.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Groups of laborers are often overseen at work by other members of the Sikh community.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Marco Omizzolo, who works for research institute Eurispes and migrant rights group In Migrazione said the migrants have little legal protection and have suffered physical abuse.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Association head Singh said he had helped the workers organise a strike and protest for better pay in the past three years. He also said he hoped anti-migrant sentiment would wane.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"With sacrifices, you can move forward," he said.</p>
<p class="title">Indian migrants working near Rome say Italy's far-right politicians may talk about curbing immigration but they say the European nation cannot manage without their cheap labor.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Politicians, in order to win votes, keep saying things like, 'We Italians', 'Italians first', 'Our people'," said Gurmukh Singh, 47, head of the Indian Community Association.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"If our people go away if everyone goes back to India, can the Italians work in these fields being paid 4 euros, 3.50 or 2.90 euros?" he said. "There is certainly enough work to go around in Italy."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The far-right League, led by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, is expected to emerge as Italy's leading party in Sunday's European parliamentary election, campaigning under the slogan "Italy First".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Salvini has promised to deport more illegal migrants from Italy, where many migrants have landed by boat from North Africa. He has often blamed immigrants for criminal activities.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Rights groups accuse Salvini of fanning racism and intolerance. They question threats to enact mass deportations, saying he has not done so during his first 12 months in office.</p>.<p class="bodytext">As many as 30,000 Indians, mostly Sikhs from India's Punjab state, live in the Pontine Marshes region, where agriculture expanded after the area was drained in the 1930s.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Some of the workers do not have official documentation, members of the community say.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Many of the workers cycle long distances from cramped accommodation to pick fruit and vegetables for up to 13 hours a day, earning between three and five euros ($3.30-$5.50) an hour, well below the industry's minimum wage of about eight euros.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Groups of laborers are often overseen at work by other members of the Sikh community.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Marco Omizzolo, who works for research institute Eurispes and migrant rights group In Migrazione said the migrants have little legal protection and have suffered physical abuse.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Association head Singh said he had helped the workers organise a strike and protest for better pay in the past three years. He also said he hoped anti-migrant sentiment would wane.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"With sacrifices, you can move forward," he said.</p>