Labor Trafficking Scheme Unveiled in Georgia
A recent federal indictment has brought to light a disturbing alleged labor trafficking operation in Georgia. The indictment outlines how several defendants purportedly exploited the H-2A visa program to bring in foreign agricultural workers, subjecting them to abuse and theft.
The individuals named in the indictment include Martha Aquino, 61, Evangelina Aquino De Galvan, 49, Julio Cervantes, 38, Marco Cervantes, 41, and Juan Felipe Romero-Lopez, 31, who is reportedly an undocumented immigrant.
The H-2A visa program allows farms in the U.S. to hire an unlimited number of foreign workers annually for agricultural labor. However, the program has garnered criticism for being susceptible to various forms of exploitation, with some companies allegedly using it to acquire cheaper and more amenable labor.
Prosecutors assert that the defendants deceitfully secured H-2A visas for these workers. Once they arrived in the U.S., the workers were allegedly coerced into surrendering their earnings to the defendants, who also confiscated their passports and threatened them with violence if they attempted to leave their jobs.
Furthermore, when the workers’ visas expired, the defendants are accused of facilitating their continued illegal stay in the U.S. They allegedly offered to drive these workers to different locations for employment, but only if the workers paid them.
U.S. Attorney Margaret E. Heap commented, “Those who exploit immigrant workers and abuse the H-2A visa program for their own financial gain will be held accountable. We will continue to partner with our federal, state and local agencies to protect these workers, safeguard the integrity of the H-2A program and prosecute those who turn a lawful employment program into a vehicle for profit and abuse.”
While Martha Aquino, Julio Cervantes, and Marco Cervantes have been taken into custody, Juan Felipe Romero-Lopez is already in federal detention due to previous weapon-related charges. In contrast, Evangelina Aquino De Galvan has not yet been apprehended.
The charges against Martha Aquino, Aquino De Galvan, and Julio Cervantes include conspiracy to commit visa fraud, visa fraud itself, and inducing undocumented aliens to enter the U.S. for commercial advantage. Marco Cervantes faces charges of conspiracy to commit visa fraud and visa fraud, and Juan Felipe Romero-Lopez is charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud and being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
