LOS ANGELES, CA – A Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) investigation led to the arrests three illegal aliens from Mexico and a U.S. citizen earlier in November for an alleged visa fraud scheme that incorporated foreign labor exploitation, according to a press release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Officials say the victimized laborers were essentially being extorted of their earnings while employed under a seasonal farm-labor visa program.
On November 13th, ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Santa Maria arrested a man identified as Jorge Vasquez who reportedly operated as a labor recruiter for entities such as “JJB Farms LLC and others,” according to officials.
Authorities allege Vasquez, along with coconspirators operating in Mexico, would get individuals in Mexico to apply for an H-2A seasonal farm worker visa only to exploit them of their wages.
The purported scheme would start off with Vasquez and his network first demanding that would-be migrant workers pay a fee for the opportunity to attain the visa, sometimes as much as $8,000 with a $1,000 upfront deposit.
From there, authorities say laborers would have their wages effectively garnished by Vasquez, who would routinely threaten the laborers with violence or visa revocation if they contacted authorities or fell behind on payments.
Aside from direct threats allegedly made by Vasquez to the laborers, authorities also claim he was “threatening workers’ families” if anyone contacted authorities or put his “pay-to-play” scheme in jeopardy.
The alleged conduct of Vasquez falls under federal peonage laws, or what could be best described as modern day slavery, which a conviction of 18 U.S. Code § 1581 could result in up to 20 years in federal prison.
The HSTF overseeing the investigation consisted of ICE HSI, the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General.
In the press release from ICE, the agency highlighted the current administration’s utilization of the HSTF, emphasizing the multiagency endeavor “is a crucial part of President Trump’s mission to create safe neighborhoods for all Americans so that mothers, fathers and children can enjoy the quality of life they deserve, free from the dangers of drug overdoses, organized crime and human traffickers preying on our most vulnerable.”
Officials say the victimized laborers were essentially being extorted of their earnings while employed under a seasonal farm-labor visa program.
On November 13th, ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Santa Maria arrested a man identified as Jorge Vasquez who reportedly operated as a labor recruiter for entities such as “JJB Farms LLC and others,” according to officials.
Authorities allege Vasquez, along with coconspirators operating in Mexico, would get individuals in Mexico to apply for an H-2A seasonal farm worker visa only to exploit them of their wages.
The purported scheme would start off with Vasquez and his network first demanding that would-be migrant workers pay a fee for the opportunity to attain the visa, sometimes as much as $8,000 with a $1,000 upfront deposit.
From there, authorities say laborers would have their wages effectively garnished by Vasquez, who would routinely threaten the laborers with violence or visa revocation if they contacted authorities or fell behind on payments.
Aside from direct threats allegedly made by Vasquez to the laborers, authorities also claim he was “threatening workers’ families” if anyone contacted authorities or put his “pay-to-play” scheme in jeopardy.
The alleged conduct of Vasquez falls under federal peonage laws, or what could be best described as modern day slavery, which a conviction of 18 U.S. Code § 1581 could result in up to 20 years in federal prison.
The HSTF overseeing the investigation consisted of ICE HSI, the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General.
In the press release from ICE, the agency highlighted the current administration’s utilization of the HSTF, emphasizing the multiagency endeavor “is a crucial part of President Trump’s mission to create safe neighborhoods for all Americans so that mothers, fathers and children can enjoy the quality of life they deserve, free from the dangers of drug overdoses, organized crime and human traffickers preying on our most vulnerable.”
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