"Shortly after Gustavo started working as a sheepherder in Cokeville, Wyoming, he says his boss took his passport. Over the years that followed, he and his brother, Iván, herded up to 2,000 sheep through the state's remote mountains. All the while, they told me in 2023, the rancher stole their wages, deprived them of food and water, and shot more than one of their dogs in front of them. "We were afraid he'd kill us," said Iván."
"Originally from Peru, Gustavo and Iván (whose names have been changed due to fear of retaliation) came to the United States through the H-2A program, which provides temporary work visas for seasonal, foreign-born agricultural workers. In Washington, H-2A is having a moment. The visa is one of the only immigration programs that Trump officials have embraced-Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has said expanding it is "of the utmost priority"-with lawmakers from both parties on board."
Gustavo and Iván had their passports taken after arriving to work as sheepherders and were forced to herd up to 2,000 sheep in remote Wyoming mountains. The brothers experienced wage theft, deprivation of food and water, and witnessed the rancher shoot several of their dogs; they escaped and later received special visas for victims of human trafficking. The H-2A program provides temporary seasonal work visas for foreign agricultural workers. The program is being expanded and promoted by the Trump administration and some lawmakers. Recent administrative changes did not protect these workers and may increase the risk of similar abuses amid longstanding farm labor shortages and intensified immigration enforcement.
Read at The Nation
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