Take Action: Urge Congress to Pass the Visa Transparency Anti-Trafficking Act
Each year, hundreds of thousands of workers from around the world come to the U.S. legally on temporary work visas - ready, willing and able to do jobs employers in this country say they can’t otherwise fill. Many of them will become victims of human trafficking because there is so little information publicly available for workers and the government is not closely monitoring employers.
Our report Human Trafficking on Temporary Work Visas spotlights how human traffickers are weaponizing these flaws within the temporary work visa system.
- Polaris identified 797 victims of labor trafficking through reported cases to the National Human Trafficking Hotline from January 2015 to December 2017 who held temporary work visas at the time of their abuse.
- Victims of labor trafficking on temporary work visas were found across numerous industries including agriculture, domestic work, landscaping, hospitality, restaurants, and construction.
- Economic abuse and threats were the most common forms of control, with the potential for reporting a worker’s immigration status being by far the most pervasive and effective threat against guest workers.
A bipartisan group of congressional leaders reintroduced the Visa Transparency Anti-Trafficking Act, a bill that will help to shed light on the nation’s guest worker programs. The legislation requires a standardized reporting system that can provide governments, law enforcement, and advocates with the data needed to develop trafficking prevention programs. You can help hold traffickers accountable.
We need your help to call on both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to each pass a bill that ensures greater transparency in temporary visa programs. Don't wait - use to the form to send a letter directly to your member of Congress urging them to act.
