Lawsuit: Berry pickers trafficked in Georgia and left destitute [View all]

(Atlanta Journal-Constitution) A group of Guatemalan workers thought they had secured desirable, well-paying agricultural jobs in Georgia.

But according to a federal lawsuit, the people who took up the man’s offer and traveled to the U.S. on seasonal work visas in 2022 didn’t find the economic opportunity they expected at the South Georgia berry farm. Instead, the men were caught in an “international human trafficking scheme” that sunk them into debt, according to a lawsuit filed last month in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

“At multiple times throughout their employment, Plaintiffs suffered from hunger because they could not afford to buy sufficient food,” the complaint reads.

The men in question are 12 Guatemalan workers, indigenous Maya who speak Kaqchikel.

https://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-news/lawsuit-berry-pickers-trafficked-in-georgia-and-left-destitute/5KH4IPOUARBLPG7JAPOD7LIZNQ/