The H-2A program looks like a win-win for both workers and employers — and it certainly can be. But if you are hiring workers with H-2A visas for the first time, or even if you are an old hand, it’s worth knowing the very real risks associated with the H-2A program — in particular, the risk of human trafficking.
In the last 5 years the Polaris-operated U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline identified more than 3,200 H-2A visa holders who were victims of human trafficking. In addition to trafficking, the Trafficking Hotline also identified more than 4,850 victims of other forms of labor exploitation (wage theft, contract violations, discrimination, that don’t reach the force, fraud or coercion threshold of trafficking) that were at work-sites utilizing the H-2A program.
This toolkit provides an overview of the risks of labor trafficking inherent in the H-2A visa program and helps you understand how to protect your workers. By protecting your workers, you will also protect your business.
