Septiembre 1, 2026
Justice on the way: Marina and her commitment to help her siblings advance
My name is Marina, I am originally from Hildalgo, a few years ago I decided to migrate to the United States for necessity, owing to the fact that I have been without a mother since I was very young and I didn’t have anyone who could take care of my younger siblings. Because of this, I had to migrate to the United States to give them a better quality of life. My goal was that my siblings could study, so that they could lead a better life, eat well, and have an education.
At that time, I had to knock on doors because it was very difficult to get a contract, I had to pay to get a contract. 40 of us went, and the treatment was not very dignified because we arrived at a trailer that was in a very bad condition, but even so, we still had to live there and go out to work. I worked at an onion warehouse in Georgia.
Recently, I have seen a lot of changes and the quality of life of migrant workers is much better. Now, there is transport, when we went we paid for everything, and even though they reimbursed us it was only for a part. When they recruited me I had to pay and now you don't have to pay to have a contract.
One of the principal violations that I observed was the discrimination from people. For example, when you got sick you had to endure it because there was no way to go to the doctor, so you would remain in pain.
Impact on my community
Being a part of the Migrant’s Defense Committee has been a very positive experience, as we are here to help migrants, we are a link and everything that we do is by and for them. On a personal level, I have tried to support my migrant peers with information that I have learned so that everyone can improve, and this has given me a lot of satisfaction because we can help our migrant peers so that they do not suffer like we suffered in the beginning.
My message for the people that face difficult situations in the workplace is that they should fight, that they should not be afraid and that they should raise their voices and that we are here to help them.
Do you have any reflections about the changes in the rules of the H-2 visa or anything that you would like to see improve in the H-2 Visas?
I would like to improve our rights and for there to be no more discrimination, and for our wages to be better and for everyone to be treated well.
If you are also a migrant worker and have an interest in protecting and defending your labor rights, join the fight, communicate with Centro de los Derechos del Migrante (CDM) (Center for Migrant’s Rights), from Mexico at +52 55 9661 6771 or from the United States at +1 667 217-5738 for a consult and to receive more information about the Migrant Defense Committee.