>> >>PEGGY: WE'RE GOING
TO COME BACK TO THE QUESTIONS.
FIRST, THE STUDY IDENTIFIED WHERE THESE WORKERS WERE EMPLOYED AND 20% WORKED IN FOOD PROCESSING,
ANOTHER 17% IN CONSTRUCTION, 17% IN JANITORIAL SERVICES, 10% IN AGRICULTURE, AND 6% IN MANUFACTURING.
I THINK PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED THAT THESE SORT OF ABUSES OR THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO
THESE IMMIGRANT WORKS DIDN'T HAPPEN OUT IN THE FIELDS.
TWENTY% WERE IN FOOD PROCESSING.
DID THAT SURPRISE YOU?
>> >>ESTELA DE LOS RIOS: ABSOLUTELY, THAT'S CORRECT.
THESE PERCENTAGES REFLECT THE STUDY.
THIS IS WHY IT'S THE HIDDEN POPULATION BECAUSE YOU WOULD NOT SUSPECT IN RESTAURANTS OR FOOD
PROCESSING, THERE WOULD BE LABOR TRAFFICKING.
>> >>PEGGY: KIND OF IN PLANE SIGHT.
THE STUDY REVEALED NEARLY A THIRD IMMIGRANT WORKERS, 38,000, I BELIEVE, EXPERIENCE LABOR
TRAFFICKING.
TELL US WHAT LABOR TRAFFICKING IS.
>> >>ESTELA DE LOS RIOS: THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION BECAUSE MANY TIMES THE CHALLENGE
IS THESE ARE JUST LABOR ABUSES OR PRACTICES THEY'RE NOT LABOR TRAFFICKING.
THERE'S A FINE LINE.
WHEN IT BECOMES CORGZ COERCION, THREATS, FEAR TO LEAVE YOUR WORK OR THREATEN YOUR FAMILY'S
LIFE OR HAVE SOME SEXUAL ABUSE, THEN IT BECOMES TRAFFICKING.
>> >>PEGGY: THERE WERE REPORTS OF SEXUAL TRAFFICKING AS WELL, RAPES, ASSAULT, THINGS LIKE THAT.
>> >>ESTELA DE LOS RIOS: YES, THERE WAS A LOT OF CRIMES REPORTED FOR AN INSTANCE ONE
THAT RESONATES IN MY MIND CONTINUOUSLY IS A MOTHER THAT SAW HER DAWRT BEING RAWPED,
SHE WAS 12 YEARS OLD, AND THE 12 YEAR OLD OBSERVED THE MOTHER BEING RAPED.
WE'RE SPEAKING RAPES, KIDNAPPING, THIS IS LABOR TRAFFICKING.
>> >>PEGGY: LABOR OR SEXUAL TRAFFICKING.
>> >>ESTELA DE LOS RIOS: EXACTLY.
>> >>PEGGY: DO THESE IMMIGRANT WORKS REPORT THIS TO AUTHORITIES?
>> >>ESTELA DE LOS RIOS: THAT'S THE CHALLENGE.
WE HAVE TRIED TO WORK WITH AUTHORITY AUTHORITIES.
AUTHORITIES HAVE BEEN VERY POSITIVE IN OUR COLLABORATION.
THE CHALLENGE IS THIS: THEY FEAR DEPORTATION, THEY FEAR THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE THE ONES
THAT ARE GOING TO BE INCARCERATED.
WE CONTINUOUSLY LELT THEM KNOW THEY HAVE ROILGTS, THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR VISA, OPPORTUNITIES
TO SPEAK UP.
BUT THE FEAR FACTOR REMAINS.
>> >>PEGGY: BEING DEPORTED OR WORSE.
>> >>ESTELA DE LOS RIOS: EXACTLY.
>> >>PEGGY: WHAT WERE SOME OF THE OTHER LABOR AND SAFETY ISSUES MAYBE NOT AS LARGE AS THAT
BUT JUST AS IMPORTANT.
>> >>ESTELA DE LOS RIOS: IN CONSTRUCTION, THEY WOULDN'T GIVE THEM THE HARD HATS, A LOT
OF THEM WORKED WITH CHEMICALS AND WOULD GET BURNED.
THEY WOULD HAVE A LOT OF HEALTH ISSUES AFTERWARDS WITH BREATHEING, PESTICIDES, AND ONE WOULD
SAY JUST REPORT THEM TO OCEA, BUTS IT'S HUGE.
BECAUSE YOU GO BACK AND THE EMPLOYER DISAPPEARS.
>> >>PEGGY: AND ALSO I UNDERSTAND THERE WAS SO NO PAYMENT, IMPROPER EQUIPMENT AS YOU SAID.
>> >>ESTELA DE LOS RIOS: EXACTLY.
>> >>PEGGY: SOME PEOPLE WOULD ARGUE THAT MIGRANT WORKS PUT THEMSELVES IN THIS VULNERABLE SITUATION,
THEY'RE HERE ILLEGALLY, SO WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT CRITICISM?
>> >>ESTELA DE LOS RIOS: IN REGARDS TO THE STATUS WHETHER THEY'RE HERE UNDOCUMENTED OR
DOCUMENTED, THESE ARE CRIMES.
THESE ARE SERIOUS CRIMES WE'RE SPEAKING ABOUT.
I BELIEVE THAT CRIME SHOULD BE PROSECUTED.
>> >>PEGGY: WHAT DID YOU DO WHEN YOU HEARD ABOUT SOME OF THESE HORRIFIC CRIMES LIKE THE
MOTHER/DAUGHTER RAPE.
HOW DID YOU GUYS HELP THE PEOPLE ONCE YOU FOUND OUT ABOUT THESE?
>> >>ESTELA DE LOS RIOS: WE FOLLOWED UP AND OUR ATTEMPT WAS TO TRY TO ASSIST THIS WOMAN
TO REPORT THIS FIRST AND FOREMOST.
BECAUSE OF THE TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE, SHE JUST WANTED TO LET IT GOAVMENT THESE ARE THE EXPERIENCES
WE HAVE ON A CONTINUOUS BASIS.
>> >>PEGGY: BUT YOU DID REACH OUT TO MANY OF THESE WORKERS.
>> >>ESTELA DE LOS RIOS: YES, WE ALWAYS REACH OUT TO THEM AND GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITIES
TO ASSIST THEM WITH RESOURCES.
>> >>PEGGY: OKAY.
ESTELA DE LOS RIOS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TALKING WITH US.
YOU CAN READ THE ENTIRE SDSU REPORT CALLED LOOKING FOR A HIDDEN POPULATION, TRAFFICKING
OF MIGRANT LABORERS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY ON OUR WEBSITE, KPBS.ORG.
>> >>ESTELA DE LOS RIOS: THANK YOU.