(Image Credit: IMAGN) Migrant workers, under contract with the Growers Co., harvest lettuce in Somerton, Arizona, on Jan. 8, 2025.
Sacramento, CA – California lawmakers are considering legislation, Assembly Bill 1362, aimed at broadening protections for migrant workers employed in agriculture, nursing, domestic care, and other industries through temporary work visa programs.
The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San José), would require all contracted foreign labor recruiters to register with the state and adhere to regulations designed to prevent worker exploitation. These rules would prohibit recruiters from charging workers recruitment fees and establish legal remedies for labor violations.
Dubbed the “Human Trafficking Prevention and Protection Act for Temporary Immigrant Workers,” the bill seeks to address the exploitation of temporary visa programs, which anti-human trafficking advocates say are frequently abused due to a lack of federal oversight.
Currently, California’s existing protections, established through Senate Bill 477 in 2014, only apply to recruiters using H-2B visas. AB 1362 would extend these protections to recruiters utilizing all other temporary work visa programs, excluding J-1 exchange visitor visas and talent agency recruiters.
According to Kalra’s office, only about 5,000 of the approximately 350,000 migrant workers in California on temporary work visas are covered by the current regulations.
Stephanie Richard, director at the Sunita Jain Anti-Trafficking Initiative, emphasized the urgency of these expanded protections, particularly in light of potential increased immigration enforcement.
Previous attempts to broaden these protections have faced opposition from the Western Growers Assn., which represents farmers in California and other states. The association has expressed concerns that such changes could slow down the process or increase the cost of bringing migrant agricultural workers to California through the H-2A visa program.
Dave Puglia, president of the Western Growers Assn., has recently called for an expansion of the foreign visa program to address labor shortages in agriculture. The association did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the new bill.
