FAIR LABOR MATTERS
June 21, 2019
Shotgun Starts at 9 am
Our golf outing helps support the services we provide to our migrant and seasonal farmworkers. Hurry, there are just 12 spots left. The Cindy Silva Memorial golf scramble is next Friday.Tickets are $100 and include 18 holes of golf, door prizes, beverages, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and more. There will be a silent auction, a hole in one contest, and other fun activities.Come join us for a fun day of golf for a great cause!

Migrant Legal Aid 2019 Outreach Underway
Migrant Legal Aid team members, Yesenia, Tyler, Molly and Jenn, have been visiting migrant camps and speaking with workers. MLA takes a look at the camp conditions and licenses, and informs workers of their rights and responsibilities, the new wage rates, and worker protections. Outreach staff then convey questions and concerns to our attorneys. "Above all, we enjoy spending time with the communities we serve," says Molly Spaak."We look forward to a great summer of outreach!"

Migrant Legal Aid and Partners Develop Program for Migrant Women's Health
Have Van Will Travel: Migrant Legal Aid has partnered with Spectrum Health, Cherry Health, Susan G Komen, and the Kent County Health Department to develop a program to promote women's breast health in West Michigan. The Mammogram Van will bring free screening to rural sites so women in agricultural work can protect their health.

MLA will be sponsoring free mammograms at the Spectrum Health Mobile Mammography Van at three convenient locations listed below. We're excited to bring this opportunity to migrant women. Help us promote this opportunity, call for a Spanish flyer or to refer women directly to us. We'll get it scheduled.
MLA Expands Playbook in Fight
Against Human Trafficking
Human Trafficking is a far greater issue in Kent County than many people in our community realize. Migrant Legal Aid has teamed up with Bethany Christian Services, Cherry Health, the YWCA, and SEE to combat human trafficking in West Michigan. What's the goal? Helping our community stop human trafficking in labor and sex industries. What are we working on? Developing and implementing a coordinated community response for victims of human trafficking in Kent County. Our approach is victim-centered and trauma-informed, through our shared vision and joint strategy to identify victims, develop service coordination, train the community, and refer victims appropriately within a carefully designed comprehensive network of service providers. iSi se Puede!
Meet Keaton Smith
Keaton is the newest intern at Migrant Legal Aid. She is from Grand Rapids, and currently studies Philosophy at Middlebury College in Vermont. She is a photographer and loves capturing scenes in nature and portraits of others. This summer, she will be writing for our website, developing our social media accounts, photographing our events, and more. Welcome Keaton!
Jury in Deadlock over Activist Helping Save Migrant Lives
Humanitarian or felon? That's the question an Arizona jury was debating over Scott Daniel Warren, and activist who allegedly provided food, water, beds, and clean clothes to undocumented immigrants near the southern border. Find out what happened here.
Unlawfully Detained
"A federal court says a Montana judge and sheriff’s deputy violated a Mexican-born man’s rights when they detained and arrested him based solely on suspicions he was in the country illegally."

Mega-church leader Arrested for Major Sex Trafficking Crimes
Mega-church leader Joaquin Garcia used his power and influence to coerce victims into performing sexual acts by claiming if they refused they were going against God.

DREAM Act Passes in House
" With a handful of Republican votes, House Democrats passed the latest version of the DREAM Act, an ambitious expansion of a nearly two-decades-long legislative effort that would place millions of young undocumented immigrants and immigrants with temporary status on a pathway to U.S. citizenship."