California lawmakers are again considering expanding protections for temporary migrant workers—an effort met with resistance in the past. Advocates, including Freedom United, are rallying behind the proposed legislation, Assembly Bill 1362. The bill aims to regulate foreign labor recruiters and prevent exploitative recruitment practices that can lead to trafficking and forced labor.

Closing the gaps in protection

The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Ash Kalra, and co-sponsored by Freedom United, Sunita Jain Anti-Trafficking Initiative, Justice at Last, Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California, and Santa Clara County Wage Theft Coalition, would require all contracted foreign labor recruiters to register with the state and follow rules designed to protect workers from exploitation.

Suhauna Hussain for the LA Times reports,

“Anti-human trafficking advocates say that due to a lack of federal oversight, temporary visa programs are frequently exploited, with workers subject to human trafficking because of false promises and illegal schemes by third-party labor recruiters.”

Currently, California has some regulations in place under SB 477, but they only apply to a small fraction of the state’s 350,000 temporary migrant workers. AB 1362 would expand protections to all visa programs—except J-1 and talent agency recruiters—ensuring that labor recruiters cannot operate in the shadows.

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