Our human trafficking case brought by two Mexican farmworkers who picked blueberries in Michigan has moved forward!!
Late last week, a federal court rejected the majority of First Pick’s and other corporate entities’ motions to dismiss, clearing the way for Feliciano and Luis to hold these companies accountable for human trafficking and violations of the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act.
CDM, Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC), Farmworker Legal Services (FLS), and Farmworker Justice represent both workers in this case and will continue to support them in their fight for justice.
When Feliciano and Luis came to the United States on H-2A visas to work on farms in North Carolina, they expected that their employers would respect their rights. Instead, their employer sent them to a blueberry farm in Michigan in violation of their contracts, where their employer forced them to work long hours in appalling conditions, and threatened to call immigration authorities if they complained.
Feliciano and Luis traveled to the U.S. to work H-2A jobs that guaranteed them free housing, an hourly wage, and reimbursement for travel expenses at the end of the season according to the H-2A program regulations. Instead, their employers used the threat of immigration enforcement to take them to another state and force them to work 12-hour days without breaks or days off; to live in and pay rent for woefully overcrowded, substandard housing; and to pay illegal fees to their employer.
Feliciano and Luis’s case shows both how guestworker programs can enable abuse, as well as how workers can fight back and hold employers accountable.
This is a strong start to 2026. This win marks a significant step toward justice for Feliciano and Luis. And it is especially important at this moment in time when the rights of workers—especially temporary guestworkers—are under attack. Feliciano and Luis are proving that speaking out against abuse matters and standing up to injustice can make a difference. Will you stand with them?