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The Department of Justice just unsealed a superseding indictment in the Southern District of Georgia that reads like a how-not-to manual for a guest‑worker program. Federal prosecutors say five people used the H‑2A visa program — a system meant to bring temporary farm labor — as a way to traffic, extort and control foreign workers. Three arrests were made this week, one defendant remains at large, and one was already behind bars on a separate firearms case.
Allegations: H‑2A visa fraud and labor trafficking
According to the indictment, the suspects allegedly obtained H‑2A visas by fraud and then treated the workers like property. The workers reportedly had to hand over money, had passports taken from them, and were threatened with violence if they tried to leave. When visas expired, prosecutors say the defendants arranged for the workers to stay in the country illegally — for another fee. U.S. Attorney Margaret E. “Meg” Heap and Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva emphasized that the H‑2A program is meant for temporary work, not as a vehicle for profit and abuse.
Who’s charged and the law‑enforcement response
The indictment names Martha Aquino, Evangelina Aquino De Galvan, Julio Cervantes, Marco Cervantes, and Juan Felipe Romero‑Lopez. Martha Aquino and two Cervantes were arrested this week; Evangelina Aquino De Galvan is reportedly on the run; Romero‑Lopez was already detained on a prior firearms charge. Homeland Security Investigations, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Labor Department’s OIG and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation all pitched in. That kind of multi‑agency work is the only reason these alleged traffickers were caught — and it shows the system does work when the will and resources are there.
Why this matters: program flaws and real victims
The H‑2A program has grown fast and, as watchdogs warned, it has holes that criminals can exploit. Employers are not supposed to keep passports or charge improper fees, yet those are exactly the abuses alleged here. This isn’t just an immigration story — it’s about labor trafficking, worker safety, and the integrity of a federal program taxpayers fund. If Congress and the agencies won’t tighten rules and enforcement, crooked operators will keep treating the program as a payday machine.
What happens next is a federal prosecution that could carry years behind bars — visa‑fraud counts can bring long sentences, and the firearm charge carries heavier penalties. Beyond trials, officials should use this case as a wake‑up call: reform H‑2A oversight, punish bad actors, and protect both American workers and vulnerable foreign laborers. Otherwise, the “temporary” in H‑2A will keep meaning “temporary oversight and permanent headaches.” Keep an eye on the Southern District of Georgia docket — and on lawmakers who claim they care about borders and labor; words are cheap, prosecutions are not.
