Daniel's Story |Escaping Labor Trafficking

Imagine you are someone who is looking for work. You don't care if it's hard labor, you don't care if it's far away, you just need work. Then, an opportunity comes along! You have to travel to another country, and it's kind of in the middle of nowhere, but it's work. So, you get your visa and head out! Once you get there, however, your travel documents are confiscated, you're given minimal access to food and water, and you're paid much less than your employer promised. To top it all off, you can't leave because not only does your employer have your passport, your visa is tied to that job. That means you lose your legal status if you leave that job.

This was the reality for Daniel. He arrived in the United States on an H-2A Visa, and his employer promptly confiscated his passport. Soon after, Daniel and his coworkers were forced to work extremely long days and had restricted access to food and water. Daniel even reported seeing his employer physically assault another worker. He was afraid to leave, however, because his visa was tied to this abusive job. Thankfully, Daniel was able to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline and decided to report the abuse, despite his fears. Hotline workers connected him with an attorney, and he and his coworkers were able to leave safely and even receive back-wage payments their employer owed them!

Unfortunately, Daniel's story is not unique. In fact, his story has many classic signs of labor trafficking that could easily be missed if you're not looking for them. This is why it is so important to know the signs of labor trafficking and where to report them. If you see signs of labor trafficking, please contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline, your local hotline, or 911 if there is immediate danger.