Temporary farm workers that come to the U.S. with H-2A guestworker visas are highly likely to be human trafficked. They face dangerous conditions and abusive work on a regular basis and the UFW Foundation, joined by other organizations, is fighting to make sure that farm workers throughout the nation are protected from the cruelty and exploitation of greedy individuals. It is with this in mind that we call on the Biden Administration to conduct a thorough investigation into the H-2A Program and implement much-needed reforms to the program after the discovery of human trafficking, slavery, and money laundering by South Georgia growers and farm labor contractors in the “Operation Blooming Onion” investigation.

The findings of “Operation Blooming Onion,” resulted in the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia indicting two dozen individuals with multiple charges, including forcing H-2A workers from Mexico and Central America to work in brutal and inhumane conditions, threatening workers with gun violence, and sexual assault. Two people died as a result of these abuses. Workers had to pay unlawful fees for transportation, food, and housing while illegally withholding their travel and identification documents, and subjected the workers to perform physically demanding work for little or no pay, housing them in crowded, unsanitary, and degrading living conditions, and by threatening them with deportation and violence.

The UFW Foundation, joined by a coalition of labor, civil, and immigrant rights organizations sent a letter to Vice President Harris and the Secretaries of the U.S. Departments of State, Labor, and Homeland Security demanding a thorough audit and investigation into the H-2A agricultural guest worker program. The letter highlights urgently needed reforms, including more oversight, increased transparency, and greater accountability and enforcement.

We are asking you to join this fight by signing this petition and letting the Biden Administration know that they need to ensure that workers in the H-2A program are protected from predatory employers.