California is celebrated for its progressive policies. Yet, thousands of temporary migrant workers continue to face wage theft, exploitation, and human trafficking. Advocates and lawmakers are rallying behind Assembly Bill 1362, also known as the Human Trafficking Prevention and Protection Act for Temporary Immigrant Workers, to change that.

The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Ash Kalra, and supported by Freedom United, Sunita Jain Anti-Trafficking Initiative, Justice at Last, Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Farmworker Justice, Bet Tzedek Legal Services 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.

A system ripe for abuse

Temporary migrant workers in California are particularly vulnerable to labor trafficking. Many arrive in the US indebted to foreign labor recruiters who charge them exorbitant fees. This malpractice then traps them in cycles of debt bondage.

Krysta Bisnauth, the Advocacy Manager at Freedom United, shared the harrowing example of Angela’s experience in an interview for Peninsula 360 Press:

“She had come from the Philippines to work at an elderly care facility. She was told that she needed to pay back $12,000 in recruitment fees. She was basically trapped for two years. She was threatened with deportation if she tried to leave, and she was only rescued by the FBI because neighbors noticed that she was never not working.”

Despite existing laws, many migrant workers remain unprotected. California’s Senate Bill 477, passed in 2014, requires foreign labor recruiters to register with the state and follow worker protection standards. However, according to Bisnauth, it only covers about 3% of all temporary migrant workers in the state.

Read more