Family Faces Charges for Exploiting Migrants in U.S. Agriculture

Migrants Allegedly Exploited

Forced labor on farms

Possible life sentence

According to the news agency EFE, a family of Mexican origin has been charged in the United States with trafficking and exploiting Mexican immigrants in the agricultural sector.

The three defendants face sentences that could amount to life imprisonment if convicted and given the maximum penalties for each offense.

The United States Department of Justice announced the formal indictment on Monday.

Charges of Trafficking and Forced Labor

TRAFFICKERS CHARGED

Three Mexican citizens were charged in a 35-count federal indictment with trafficking agricultural workers into Servitude on farms in Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida.

Martha Zeferino Jose, Jose Rodriguez Munoz, and Jeremy Zeferino Jose allegedly… pic.twitter.com/nYRIYDtcE8

— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) February 23, 2026

The main defendant is Martha Zeferino Jose, 42.

She is a Mexican national with permanent residency in the United States.

According to the indictment, she recruited Mexican agricultural workers with temporary H-2A visas.

She allegedly did so through her company, Las Princesas.

Prosecutors claim she acted fraudulently alongside her partner and her son.

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The other two defendants are Jose Rodriguez Munoz, described as an undocumented immigrant, and Jeremy Zeferino Jose, 23, also a Mexican national with permanent residency in the country.

Between the summer of 2021 and 2022, the defendants allegedly charged “substantial fees” to seasonal workers for processing their visas.

Once in the United States, they allegedly confiscated passports, visas, and identification documents.

According to the indictment, the aim was to prevent the workers from leaving their job sites.

They were then allegedly forced to perform labor under coercive conditions, forming the basis of the migrant labor trafficking case.

Conditions Described by Prosecutors

Migrant Labor Trafficking Case Against Family – PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

The indictment states that immigrants were forced to work long hours.

They reportedly had no adequate breaks and insufficient access to water.

They were also housed in overcrowded and unsanitary residences.

These homes lacked heating, air conditioning, hot water, and bedding.

According to prosecutors, the exploited migrants were not paid the required wages.

They were also allegedly denied food and medical care.

The victims were forced to work on farms and in greenhouses.

The incidents occurred in Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida.

The indictment does not specify the number of victims or their current status following the arrests.

According to the Department of Justice, the workers were prohibited from leaving.

They could not travel alone or speak with people outside the group.

They were also monitored and threatened with being reported to immigration authorities.

The indictment further alleges that the expiration of their visas was concealed.

In this way, they were allegedly kept in the country unlawfully for Martha Zeferino Jose and the other defendants’ financial benefit.

Charges and Possible Sentences

When the Department of Labor began investigating the company, Martha Zeferino Jose allegedly returned the workers’ documents.

According to the indictment, she instructed them to tell authorities that “everything was fine.”

Her partner allegedly threatened them with deportation if they told “the truth.”

As a result, both face obstruction of justice charges.

In total, the defendants face 35 criminal counts.

These include forced labor and conspiracy, which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years per charge.

They also face charges of recruiting foreign nationals for profit, slavery, visa fraud, and obstruction.

These offenses carry penalties ranging from 5 to 10 years.

If convicted on all counts and given the maximum cumulative sentences, they could face life imprisonment under the migrant labor trafficking case.