Antonio was 21 years old when he came from the state of Hildago
in Mexico to the United States. He borrowed US$1700 as part of
a deal outlining transportation across the border and well-paid
construction work in California.
After being transported across the border into Arizona he was
told he would be going to Florida to work picking tomatoes instead.
On arrival at a labour camp in Immokalee he was delivered, with
others, from one man to another. "I heard him say 'here
are the people. You have to pay $500 for each.' That's when
I realised I had been sold like an animal without any compassion."
Antonio was taken to a run-down trailer where 28 workers slept
on mattresses on the floor and shared one bathroom. "In
the morning when I woke up and wanted to go outside I realised
the door was locked. We were told we could not leave until the
debt was paid off."
He subsequently worked for 10-12 hours a day, seven days a week.
"It was hard work, very hot and we had to work constantly
squatting down and carrying the heavy buckets of tomatoes. The
first week I thought I'd earned good money. But from the wages
I received he took out money for the driver, the rent, the water-
everything."
Antonio was kept under 24 hour surveillance, was not allowed
to make phone-calls, and faced constant threats of violence to
himself and his family back home. "What made me most scared
was when I heard about the people who had tried to escape. One
of them had been beaten very badly."
Finally after four months, the opportunity to escape arose when
his crew-leader fell asleep in the van on a weekly supervised
trip to the local shop. However, after having escaped Antonio
continued to be threatened and intimidated. His perpetrators followed
him and demanded money.
With the help of CIW Antonio brought his captors to justice by
testifying against them. They were convicted and sentenced to
three years in prison. Since escaping, he has taken part in a
10-day hunger-strike and 230-mile march to raise awareness about
forced labour. He continues to work with the CIW sharing his experiences
and educating others about this abuse.
"People don't realise that someone's suffering. We're
the ones that pick the food but they don't see our sweat and exploitation."
Read about
the Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Read about Forced labour
in the United States agricultural industry
