Government, Immigration
Head Down
In 2018, Diego and Mario joined the U.S. government-sponsored H-2A visa program, leaving their families in their home country of Mexico to harvest blueberries at a farm in North Carolina for six months. They had no idea they were about to become victims of human trafficking and that their lives would be derailed forever.
The work of Futuro Investigates is made possible by The W.K.Kellogg Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, The Tow Foundation, The Geraldine H. Dodge Foundation, Michelle Mercer and Bruce Golden, and Hispanics in Philanthropy.
Government, Immigration
Podcast: Head Down, Episode 1
In May 2018, Diego & Mario, two farm workers who had entered the U.S. with H-2A visas, escaped their employer. Why? The first in our two part investigation, Head Down.
Government, Immigration
Human Trafficking or a Guest Worker Program? H-2A’s Systemic Issues Result in Catastrophic Violations
An 18-month investigation by Prism, Futuro Investigates, and Latino USA
Government, Immigration, Spanish
¿Tráfico humano o un programa de trabajadores visitantes? Los problemas sistémicos de las visas H-2A resultan en violaciones catastróficas
Una investigación de 18 meses de Prism, Futuro Investigates y Latino USA.
Government, Immigration
Podcast: Head Down, Episode 2
In the last episode of our two-part investigative special “Head Down,” we uncover millions of dollars owed to foreign agricultural workers that are kept by the U.S. government; we examine the racist roots of the H-2A program, and share the story of a massive firing at a U.S. farm with unseen consequences. Lastly, we ask: if the H-2A program is largely set up to fail, why is the Biden administration planning to expand it?
Opinion
Put Your Head Down, Work, Don’t Complain: What I Learned From Investigating Temporary Foreign Work in the U.S.
After reporting on the temporary foreign farmworker program for years and seeing the inaction from those with power to fix its flaws, what really stays with me are the stories of workers met along the way.
Opinion
“Baja La Cabeza, Trabaja, No Te Quejes”: Lo Que Aprendí Investigando el Trabajo Temporal de Agricultores Extranjeros en Estados Unidos
Llevo años haciendo reportajes sobre el programa de mano de obra agrícola extranjera en Estados Unidos. He visto la falta de acción de aquellos con autoridad para corregir sus fallas. Lo que realmente me ha impresionado son las historias de los trabajadores que he conocido.
Reporter’s Notebook
Lo Que Dos Migrantes Mexicanos me Enseñaron Sobre Amistad y Resistencia: Un Diario de Reportera
En el verano de 2022, viajé desde Nueva York hasta un pueblo en el centro-sur de Estados Unidos, para pasar unos días con dos amigos y entrevistarlos acerca de su nefasta experiencia como parte del programa de visas H-2A para trabajadores migrantes. En 2018, ellos sobrevivieron abusos e irregularidades. Ahora, no solo han logrado tener una vida digna para ellos y sus familias, sino que han decidido no callar.
Reporter’s Notebook
What Two Mexican Migrants Taught me About Friendship and Resistance: A Reporter’s Notebook
In the summer of 2022, I traveled from New York to a town in the south-central United States to spend a few days with two friends and interview them about their nefarious experiences as part of the H-2A migrant worker visa program. In 2018, they survived abuse and irregularities. Now, they have managed to make a dignified life for themselves and their families and have decided to speak up.
Reporter’s Notebook
Lo reclutaron en México para trabajar en EEUU por seis meses. No ha visto a su familia en cinco años
Algunos migrantes que viajan a Estados Unidos desde México para laborar como trabajadores agrícolas son abusados y explotados, después de obtener visas H-2A. Esta es la historia de cómo una de esas familias ha lidiado con el trauma y la separación.
Reporter’s Notebook
He Was Recruited in Mexico to Work in the U.S. for Six Months. He Hasn’t Seen His Family in Five Years
Some migrants who travel to the United States from Mexico to work as farm workers are abused and exploited after obtaining H-2A visas. This is the story of how one of these families has dealt with trauma and separation.
Credits
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
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REPORTERS
EDITORS
PROJECT MANAGERS
FACT-CHECKING
MUSIC AND SCORING
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ARTWORK
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