Class Action Settlement Reached:   ¡Sí se pudo! This week MLA sent out 330 letters to harvesters of Blue Star Farms who worked the 2011, 2012, or 2013 blueberry seasons. MLA is alerting them to their claim in a settlement that was reached due to alleged inaccurate and undisclosed accounts of hours and pay rates. The settlement was for $200,000 and class members have an opportunity to file a claim and receive a portion of the settlement. If you or someone you know worked for Blue Star Farms during one of these seasons please check Migrant Legal Aid's website for information as it becomes available or call MLA for more information.

Former MLA Client Enslaved in Michigan is Reunited with Daughter After Many Years 

Sergio Cira Reyes is a resident of Kent County and a formerly undocumented immigrant, who organized a group of over 120 people who protested outside at Calder Plaza and at the Kent County Board of Commissioners meeting on June 28, 2018 against Kent County's contract with ICE and the detaining of undocumented immigrants. The goal of the protesters was to end Kent County's contract with ICE. Read more here and here.  Or you can watch part of the commission meeting here.

A rule change by the Department of Homeland Security would require immigration caseworkers to consider a much wider range of factors when evaluating whether someone is likely to be dependent on public assistance. In addition to forms of cash welfare assistance already used in such cases, it would add the "non-cash" benefits used by more than one-fifth of the U.S. population, both foreign- and native-born. DHS officials said the proposal is not yet final, but the administration is eager to ensure "that foreign nationals seeking to enter or remain in the U.S are self-sufficient."

This proposal would endanger immigrant families. By forcing immigrant families to choose between meeting basic needs and keeping their family together in the U.S., the proposed rule would drive up poverty, hunger, unmet health care needs, and worsen a range of other problems facing communities across the U.S. 

If your organization is interested in signing a petition to stop this potential measure please click the link below and add your organizations contact information.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released internal guidance on changes made to farm labor housing eligibility. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 amended a section of the Housing Act of 1949 to extend the Farm Labor Housing tenant eligibility to agricultural workers legally admitted to the United States and authorized to work in agriculture. Due to this rule change, domestic farm laborers legally admitted into the country under an H-2A work visa are now eligible for this state-inspected housing.

USDA has released internal guidance for implementing this new rule, which can be found at  https://www.rd.usda.gov/files/RDUL-domestic.pdf

The application period is now open, with a deadline of Aug. 27, 2018. Click here to apply.

Delays On Children Being Reunited With Their Families

Trump Admin Tells Court It Has Only Returned 2 Out Of 102 Immigrant Kids Under 5 Years Old

Final arguments challenging the Environmental Protection Agency's refusal to ban a pesticide linked to brain damage in children will take place this morning in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. A coalition of labor and health organizations represented by Earthjustice, will ask a panel of three judges to overturn former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's decision not to ban chlorpyrifos, a dangerous nerve agent that can damage the developing brains of children, increasing the risk for reduced IQ, loss of working memory, and attention deficit disorders.