Two migrant workers are accusing a West Michigan blueberry farm of human trafficking and forced labor.and its associated businesses Friday, June 9, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. They claim workers were illegally transported to Michigan and forced to pick blueberries for long hours and they had to live in substandard workforce housing.
The lawsuit alleges Guzman, Velasco and 30 other workers were woken in the middle of the night to have their photos taken. They were then told by First Pick Farms employee Antonio Sanchez they were being taken to another farm in Michigan. Defendants through Sanchez “repeatedly threatened plaintiffs and other H-2A workers with calls to immigration authorities if they complained to anyone regarding being transported to Michigan to work,” the complaint says.