Eduardo and Gerardo, two workers from Mexico, had been recruited to work as farmworkers in the United States on H-2A visas. After going weeks without getting paid, Eduardo and Gerardo spoke up. Their employer’s recruitment agent lured them to the local Walmart for a “shopping trip” under the guise of a “housing inspection.” Immigration authorities…
Sandra and Tatiana worked for the same family separately, in 2016 and 2018. But their experience was far too similar. While working as au pairs in Maryland, Sandra and Tatiana were forced to work beyond contracted hours and responsibilities. Their employers limited their access to food, restricted their movements, threatened them with deportation, and constantly…
Today’s DACA victory at the Supreme Court is a triumph for the migrant community, including case plaintiff Marí Perales, CDM’s Communication Coordinator! Marí has been relentless in her fight: taking the Trump administration to court despite risks to herself and her family — then organizing, rallying, and speaking out in the media across the U.S.…
From pork factories in South Dakota to poultry plants in Maryland, COVID-19 outbreaks are threatening workers’ lives across the country. The latest: seafood processors in the South. Last month, Maribel and Reyna, two workers on H-2B visas from northern Mexico, saw about 100 of their coworkers get sick with COVID-19 in a crawfish plant in…
George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery — these are four names of countless Black people killed over the course of 400 years of systemic racism that fosters the violation of human rights. Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc. stands in solidarity with Black communities across the country demanding justice for them…
The stocked (and restocked) grocery stores amid this pandemic highlight the size and scope of the U.S. agriculture business. Integral to that industry is a massive workforce — including hundreds of thousands of men and women who work in fields across the US on H-2A visas. A record 256,667 H-2A workers were hired in 2019,…
We are advocates and legal services providers from across the U.S. who regularly represent and interact with workers employed by H-2B employers in a wide variety of industries and organizations concerned with the well-being of all workers in the United States. Because of the vulnerability of the H-2B workforce, their international travel, their frequent residence…
We hope you and your loved ones are staying safe. During the past two weeks, we have seen COVID-19 exacerbating systemic flaws in guestworker programs. These are the top three issues we’re hearing from workers: Hotel and restaurant workers are stranded and homeless. Workers in the hospitality issues tell us they’re being laid off. Some…
Today, on International Women’s Day, thousands of women are taking the streets of cities across Mexico to demand justice, equity, accountability and peace. This historic mobilization protests widespread harassment, impunity, labor abuse and femicides. Approximately 10 women and girls die in Mexico every day due to gender-based violence — #NiUnaMás, #NiUnaMenos. As members of civil…
We’re counting on Marylanders to tell legislators just how transformational SB 742 will be — join us Friday, February 21 in Annapolis! We’ll gather in the Senate Office Building at 9am to sign postcards and meet with legislators to share why SB 742 is important for migrant workers. Together we can deliver the message to…