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Martin D. and Martín M. (Mr. Lobo) are originally from Zacatecas, they were colleagues with H-2B visas in the mobile fair and carnival industry in the United States and they faced various violations of their labor rights. 

Currently they are good friends and told us: 

“In 2007 we went to work with H-2B visas in Delaware, U.S.A. The recruitment took place in Guadalupe, Zacatecas, we were initially given three job options; agriculture,  construction or mowing. When we were on route to our destination, we were not supported with expenses, except for the tickets. The visa (MXN$5,000) and food was covered by us. When we arrived at our destination we realized that the job was not the one they had offered us, in reality the job was working at fairs, assembling and disassembling the rides, operating and attending to people on the rides (...) 

At the end of a fair season in a given place they made us disassemble all of the rides at night. We were working all night until sunrise and then we would travel to another city to set everything up all over again. We had to travel in very uncomfortable conditions, around 20 people in a van that only had the capacity to transport 8 people. There were 2, 4 and up to 6 hour trips in these conditions, to one city or another.  Moreover, our housing was in very bad condition, the trailers where we lived did not have basic services. We had one porta-potty for 20 people. In terms of our food; when there were opportunities we would make food, and when there weren’t, we had to buy food in stores with our wages. 

We could only eat when all of the rides and all of the work was done because there was no chance to eat during the day. We ended up working up to eighty hours a week and we had a minimum wage of 100 dollars a week. Even though we asked the manager to pay us a little more for so many hours of work, they ignored us; on the contrary, they deducted $25 supposedly for a savings account. We didn't agree, but it happened because the manager was the one who decided.

The only good thing that came out of this experience is that when we returned to México we realized that there was an office that supports migrant workers, [Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc. (CDM)]. We went to request support and they did an interview with us. They sent the declaration of how our employers treated us and the interview directly to the New York State Attorney General. One day, the phone rang and it was the same Attorney General. He asked me if I wanted to make any changes to my written declaration that he had, I said no, that the work experience had been exactly as it was written. A worker had filed a lawsuit against the fair company; we were invited to join and we did. Fortunately, the lawsuit won and there was a financial benefit, but the violations and exploitation of people continued in that company.” 

Martín D.: “I realized that this was a good experience and that I had enjoyed participating in the activities of the Comité de Defensa del Migrante (Migrant Defense Committee) and CDM. I started getting to know my colleagues, working with some groups in my community, receiving training to share my experience principally with people in my community who were going to work as migrant workers in the United States; informing them and sharing with them about their labor rights as migrant workers because when my friend Lobo and I went, I went in ignorant, I did not know that we had rights, I went thinking that we were going to submit to whatever the employer decided, I realised that I was completely wrong.”

We started receiving  training and sharing these trainings in the communities. I remember a time when there was an event in Mexico City, an activity of CNDH where a lot of people from different countries participated.  I shared my experience with some people from Korea, I felt really good because I felt that my voice was heard in many parts of the world. Currently, together with my friend Lobo, we continue working, coordinating, and participating in virtual meetings, making contributions to the growth of the Defense Committee in which we have participated for many years. I feel that my participation in the committee has been very beneficial because I have learned a lot.

As members of the committee and former migrant workers we are here to defend rights and share with our colleagues our knowledge and experience.  The Martins (Lobo and I) encourage people who have been hired to prepare themselves before leaving. They should contact CDM for training on their rights, salary, work hours, and how to record their hours, especially with how things are now with the new policies and administration. We are part of the committee with CDM and thanks to them we know many things about our rights and we share what we know with the people we know in our communities.”

If you are also a migrant worker and have interest in protecting and defending your labor rights, join the struggle, contact Centro de los Derechos del Migrante (CDM) from México at +52 55 9661 6771 or from the United States at +1 667 217-5738 to receive advice and for information about the Comité de Defensa del Migrante (Migrant Defense Committee).

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