Just filed! Defending migrant worker protections in court
This week, CDM filed a friend-of-the-court brief opposing employer-led efforts to dismantle key worker protections included in the 2024 H-2 program rule issued by the Biden Administration. From the beginning, corporations and low-road employers pushed back against a few of the rule’s worker-centered provisions. But now, they’re asking the court to throw out the rule entirely. We can’t let…
Stand with us today to defend migrant workers’ protections!
Guestworker visa programs are structurally flawed and they facilitate the abuse and exploitation of migrant workers. Everyday we hear from migrant guestworkers facing wage theft, violence, discrimination, retaliation and human trafficking. Now, members in Congress are seeking to dramatically expand guestworker visa programs and carve out visa cap exceptions for industries that have an extensive…
Delivering Justice Across Borders: New Edition of the Money Transfers to Mexico Manual
Borders should never be barriers to justice. That’s why I’m excited to share that, in collaboration with the Immigrant Justice Clinic at American University Washington College of Law (IJC) and Justice in Motion (JiM), we’ve updated our Money Transfers to Mexico Manual; a key resource that provides critical support for advocates looking to deliver unpaid…
House Committee Moves to Expand Guestworker Programs Without Worker Safeguards
PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, June 26, 2025 CONTACT Francisco Díaz, francisco@cdmigrante.org This week, House Appropriations Committee members backed an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security funding bill that would dramatically expand H-2 guestworker programs, a move that is not only incredibly shortsighted but also dangerous to hundreds of thousands of guestworkers. Guestworkers…
Trump administration strips worker protections for farmworkers recruited to work in the U.S. on H-2A visas
PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tueday, June 24, 2025 CONTACT Francisco Díaz, francisco@cdmigrante.org Baltimore, Md. — Last Friday, the Department of Labor (DOL) quietly suspended enforcement of its 2024 rule which strengthened protections for farmworkers recruited to work in the United States through the H-2A agricultural visa program. Centro de los Derechos del Migrante (CDM) is outraged by…
Workers Deserve Safe Workplaces — No Exceptions
Creating workplaces free from sexual harassment and violence should never be a controversial issue. Yet, the Department of Labor recently terminated all “Fostering Access, Rights and Equity” (FARE) grants awarded by the Women’s Bureau during the Biden administration — including two that funded our critical work building power with workers in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina,…
Big Win for Chicken Catchers!
“I could not stand the conditions all of us —myself and my fellow co-workers— had to endure. We worked so much and got nothing in return. I knew I had to speak out and organize others to do so as well. I could never have imagined that we would achieve so much together. Now I…
Celebrating the Strength and Leadership of Migrant Worker Women
For the last almost 20 years, we’ve had the privilege of working with thousands of migrant worker women who migrate to the United States, leaving family and friends behind in search of a better future. This International Women’s Day, we celebrate them – for their strength, their courage and their leadership. We celebrate the courage…
The search begins! Finding claimants in $92.5 million case
Oscar Onadia, an immigrant from Burkina Faso, courageously filed a class-action lawsuit against the City of New York, eventually obtaining a settlement of $92.5 million dollars for more than 20,000 people. The class members —immigrants and US citizens alike— were unjustly detained between 1997 and 2012 by the New York City Department of Corrections beyond their…
Rise up to this moment with us
For nearly 20 years, CDM has been on the frontlines ensuring workers build their power and are able to stand up for their rights. At this moment, when migrant workers are under attack, our commitment to this work is steadfast and more critical than ever. CDM was built to meet moments of vulnerability and we intend, as…
Join Us: Your Donation Today Fuels Our Impact in 2025!
From labor-based deferred action clinics and know your rights trainings to strengthened protections in the H-2 programs, this year was filled with powerful moments for migrant justice. And they were all thanks to the support of people like you, who believe in our vision and trust in our work. As we move into 2025, we want…
A reason to celebrate this International Migrants Day
This International Migrants Day we are celebrating a new rule that strengthens protections for migrant guestworkers in the H-2 program. The rule, which was announced yesterday by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), will make it easier for migrant workers to access key existing worker protections. A few highlights: Visa potability: In theory, visa portability was…