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Urge California to ensure all its temporary workers are free

Swarfendor437

Mon Apr 27, 2020 8:29:05 pm

Urge California to ensure all its temporary workers are free from slavery.

https://www.freedomunited.org/advocate/ ... rus%2c+let’s+not+forget+the+farmworkers+keeping+food+on+our+tables+&utm_content=Active+AT+-+COVID19+CAST+-+April+20+2020

Reports show farmworkers are being transferred in packed buses and sharing overcrowded hotel rooms, meaning social distancing is impossible for many migrant workers. Many say that they have little to no access to handwashing facilities.[1]

Farms in California, which feed families in the U.S. and around the world, have become increasingly reliant on temporary migrant workers—mainly from Mexico. But because of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, immigration has all but stopped and farms are facing labor shortages just before a critical planting season.[2]

The risk of exploitation is higher than ever for these migrant farmworkers.

Regulations around recruiting, which are already too lax, have been eased further as a result of the labor shortage. Laborers that have already worked in the U.S., no longer require a visa appointment to obtain another visa. This makes migrant laborers more vulnerable to misinformation and coercion.[3]

With U.S. embassies closed indefinitely there is a high risk of misinformation and limited transparency regarding the rapid policy changes that have taken place.[4]

These circumstances make the risk of exploitation and forced labor impossible to ignore.

These factors exist in addition to the knock-on economic effects of the pandemic, are increasing modern slavery risks across industries around the world—particularly for low-income migrant laborers. Read our executive director’s thoughts on the implications of coronavirus for the anti-slavery movement.

Now, more than ever, it is crucial that we call on the Californian government to increase labor protections for temporary workers and ensure they are not at risk of forced labor.

Keep supporting Freedom United and CAST LA in standing with our farmworkers.

Share our campaign with your network today!

In solidarity,

Herrana and the rest of the Freedom United team

[1]https://migrationthatworks.org/2020/03/25/migrant-workers-are-at-the-front-lines-they-need-protections/?

[2]https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/03/mexico-farms-h2a-visas-produce-coronavirus-us/

[3]https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2020/03/19/usda-and-dol-announce-information-sharing-assist-h-2a-employers

[4]https://mx.usembassy.gov/status-of-u-s-consular-operations-in-mexico-in-light-of-covid-19/