In Sunday's edition of the The Post StandardIn a recent article, a story was published about the abuse of a group of immigrants recruited in Mexico to work in Syracuse, New York at a fair. The account of the abuse and mistreatment suffered by 19 Mexicans horrified me. It also infuriated me to learn that there are such inhumane people willing to practically enslave and take advantage of immigrants in need. But saddest of all, these men did not know they had rights, and perhaps they could have saved themselves from much mistreatment.
The note A group of 19 men were brought from Mexico on temporary H-2B visas, with work contracts promising a pay of $10.71 an hour, a one-hour break, and decent housing during their stay in the country. But once they arrived in the United States, the reality was different - they were treated almost like slaves. They were forced to work 16 to 18 hours a day - and sometimes up to 24 hours straight - with barely a 15-minute break and only one meal a day. They were crammed into a flea-infested trailer, which made some of the immigrants sick. And on top of it all, many were not paid! And those who did get paid were paid $1 an hour, not the promised $10.71. In addition, the man who hired them frightened them, telling them that if they quit, they would be violating the terms of the visa and would be deported.
All of this is illegal. The situation only began to come to light when two of the men had to go to the hospital in an emergency and were helped by a woman, who immediately contacted the coordinator of an employee rights group. As a result of this mobilization, two federal investigations and a lawsuit were launched against Peter Karageorgis, the men's boss. Federal authorities charged him with human trafficking, and the U.S. Department of Labor recently ordered him to pay $115,000 to 13 of the men, plus a fine of $$50,000, in addition to the $$85,000 he had to pay to 10 workers after the prosecution dropped the criminal case.
According to the executive director of the Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, thousands of workers are recruited in Mexico to work at fairs in the U.S. on H-2B visas. This non-profit organization, based in Mexico, is dedicated to improving conditions for migrant workers in the United States. If you are Mexican, be sure to reach out to this center to find out what resources are available to you before you travel to the U.S.
Once in the U.S., you should know that every employee has rights. Even those who are here without documents.
Click here here to learn about your rights as an employee. Here more resources in Spanish from the U.S. Department of Labor.
In this Page you can read all the requirements and demands for an H-2B visa.
For more information or to file a complaint, you may contact the U.S. Department of Labor by calling the toll-free information and assistance line, available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.: 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243).
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