Slavery is not a relic of the past. It is still happening with shocking frequency in countries all over the world. But you could be forgiven for assuming that slavery had long been eradicated from here in the United States — after all, the U.S. is the home of the free, right?
Sadly, there are criminal gangs who continue to exploit the most vulnerable among us as a recent bust by immigration agents in Georgia uncovered. Authorities there say that criminal organizations had enslaved at least 100 migrant workers, forcing them to live and work in squalid conditions, under the false pretense they’d be given visas to stay in the U.S.
Federal agents busted a slavery operation helping free at least 100 migrant workers.
According to reporting by NBC News, two dozen people were recently charged in connection with a modern-day ‘slavery ring’ operating the state of Georgia. The group is charged with smuggling Mexican and Central American migrants to the U.S. and forcing them to live in camps and work on farms.
As part of their operations, the gangs are accused of raking in more than $200 million from their slavery ring at the expense of undocumented workers. The gangs used the countries H-2A visa program that allows workers from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras to enter the U.S. in order to do seasonal agricultural work. The federal visa program requires the migrants be paid fairly, often $10 to $12 an hour, but instead, they were paid little to no money.
In the grand jury indictment, officials say that migrants had their documents taken away, leaving them unable to leave and get help. They often lived in shockingly crowded trailers with limited access to food or clean water.
The report also says that at least two migrants died due to the squalid conditions and another was repeatedly raped, while others were kidnapped and threatened with death. Workers were also forced to work at gunpoint, the court documents say, earning 20 cents for each bucket of onions they dug up with their hands. Some were sold to farms in other states.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney David Estes said the case had freed “more than 100 individuals from the shackles of modern-day slavery and will hold accountable those who put them in chains.”
The investigation began more than three years ago to crack down on human smuggling.
Law enforcement began investigating the organization back in November 2018 as part of ‘Operation: Blooming Onion,’ once authorities discovered that criminal gangs were hauling in thousands of workers, allegedly promising them they would be paid under the terms of a contract — typically $10 to $12 per hour and would be provided with transportation, housing and food.
After living through such a horrifying ordeal, migrant advocates are eager to find out what the status of those rescued is today. In a statement about the status of the victims, Barry Paschal, a spokesperson for the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia told Newsweek: “Victim’/Witness services staff and NGOs are assisting the rescued victims (approximately 102).”
The statement goes on to say that ”In specific circumstances, federal law protects victims of crime from deportation,’ and urges other victims of human trafficking to come forward.
The investigation cites more than 70,000 workers who likely came into the country under the H-21 visa program fraudulently, which leaves many advocates wondering how many more migrants may be held in similar conditions to those discovered in Georgia.
SOURCE: Mitu
