FARGO - The first defendants among 23 workers from India suspected of being illegal immigrants have been arraigned in federal court. One of the spectators was a representative from a group that says the men are victims of a human trafficking scheme.

Fourteen men pleaded not guilty Thursday afternoon to three charges, including false claim of citizenship and use of counterfeit Social Security cards. The other defendants are scheduled for later hearings.

Prosecutors said the men were working for at least two months on a Casselton ethanol plant for Wanzek Construction Inc. The men were arrested after Wanzek officials notified authorities.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Klein worked through an interpreter at Thursday's hearing. Each man told Klein they understood the charges and the reasons for the hearing.

Klein set their trial for Jan. 12. The men face a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison on the three charges.

A group advocating for the workers says the men came to the United States from India to help rebuild after Hurricane Katrina and were victims of a human trafficking scheme. They are part of a class action lawsuit that accuses an oil rig construction and repair company of subjecting workers to forced labor and poor living conditions at facilities in Pascagoula, Miss., and Orange, Texas.

Jennifer Rosenbaum, a lawyer for the New Orleans Worker's Center for Racial Justice, gave reassuring nods to several of the men as they left the courtroom. She referred questions to Jacob Horwitz, one of the center's organizers.

"It's a total outrage that while the real criminals have not been charged with any crimes at all, they are going after these men," Horwitz said in a telephone interview. "They are targeting the victims of human trafficking who came forward."

U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley has said the allegations of human trafficking have "been looked into," but won't comment further.

The class action lawsuit against Signal International claims recruiters from the company lured the men to the United States with $20,000 and the false promise of permanent residency. Signal calls the allegations "baseless and unfounded."

Horwitz released a letter he said was written by Christopher Glory, one of the defendants, from the Cass County Jail. Glory said he sold his family farm and left behind a wife and two sons to come to the United States.

"I am in jail, but I do not see this as a punishment," the letter said. "It is another chance to tell the truth, to tell the world what happened in Signal. If this is what it takes for the world to know, then I am willing to be in jail."