'A lot of abuse for little pay': how US farming profits from exploitation and brutality
Two dozen conspirators forced workers to pay fees for travel and housing while forcing them to work for little to no pay
Michael Sainato
Sat 25 Dec 2021 12.51 EST
In June, a farm worker from Mexico, who requested to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, was transported through a trafficking network from Monterey to work on farms in Georgia.
They paid the traffickers 20,000 pesos, about $950, loaned from their mother, taking frequent trips back and forth to Monterey, before being told it was safe to leave. Then they were finally transported across the border.
Initially, the worker was told they would be working on a blueberry farm, but was sent to a corn farming operation instead.
“We arrived at the house where we would live, and had to clean the rooms ourselves. There were roaches, spiders, mosquitoes, and the mattresses were covered in lice,” the worker said. “The bathrooms and showers were dirty and clogged. The kitchen was horrible. We had no air conditioning in hot weather.”
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/25/us-farms-made-200m-human-smuggling-labor-trafficking-operation
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