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Advocates Tell Economic Matters Committee Maryland Fails to Enforce H‑2A and Farmworker Housing Rules
Summary
Advocates from Centro de los Derechos del Migrante and Maryland Legal Aid told the Economic Matters Committee that H‑2A and migrant farmworker housing in Maryland is often overcrowded, unsanitary, and inaccessible to outreach, and urged the state to strengthen enforcement and statutory protections for outreach access.
Advocates for migrant farmworkers told the House Economic Matters Committee that many H‑2A and other employer‑provided housing units in Maryland fall short of federal and state standards and that enforcement and access problems allow poor conditions to persist.
Ricardo Ortiz, of Centro de los Derechos del Migrante (CDM), said temporary visa programs create extreme dependence on employers and described frequent overcrowding, restricted movement, and sanitation problems. "On paper, [H‑2A] provides important rights," Ortiz said. "But in practice, these programs create extreme dependence on employers and scribe…
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