The Trump administration continues its aggressive crackdown on immigration fraud and human smuggling, this time targeting a scheme that abused the H‑2A agricultural visa program in Georgia. On Tuesday, a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia unsealed indictments against five Hispanic adults, including a Mexican national who was in the country illegally.
Who was charged and where they lived
Three of the defendants—Martha Aquino, Evangelina Aquino De Galvan, and Julio Cervantes—were residents of Alma, Georgia. Marco Cervantes lives in Rowlett, Texas, and the fifth suspect, Juan Felipe Romero‑Lopez, is a Mexican citizen. Aquino, Julio and Marco were arrested this week. De Galvan remains at large, while Romero‑Lopez is in custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a prior firearms charge.
Alleged scheme
According to the complaint, the defendants conspired to obtain H‑2A visas fraudulently, then smuggle illegal foreign nationals into the United States under the pretense of legitimate agricultural work. They allegedly misrepresented where the workers would be employed and housed, collected payments from the workers before visa applications were filed, and confiscated passports and other identification documents.
The H‑2A program is intended to help American farmers fill temporary or seasonal jobs when domestic labor is scarce. Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said, “Instead of helping American farmers, these defendants allegedly concocted a scheme to enrich themselves by manipulating the program and smuggling aliens into the country for profit.”
Violence and intimidation
The indictment alleges that the conspirators used threats and physical violence to keep workers from leaving or refusing to work. After the workers’ visas expired, they were left without legal means to depart the country, and the defendants allegedly offered to transport them elsewhere in exchange for additional improper payments.
Potential penalties
If convicted, each defendant faces substantial prison time. Visa fraud carries up to ten years, visa‑fraud conspiracy up to five years, encouraging illegal entry for commercial advantage up to ten years, and the firearms charge up to fifteen years.
Broader enforcement effort
The investigation was a joint effort involving Homeland Security Investigations‑Savannah, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and several federal agencies including U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force.
Officials note that prosecutions of H‑2A visa fraud, forced labor, and human smuggling are ongoing across the nation. Recent related cases include 61 indictments in a forced‑labor investigation in Washington state and multiple indictments in Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia. Other immigration‑related fraud cases are being pursued from Nebraska to North Carolina, alongside thousands of marriage and welfare fraud cases in Minnesota.
Impact on local agriculture
Georgia’s agricultural sector relies heavily on seasonal labor, making the integrity of the H‑2A program critical for farmers. By targeting schemes that exploit vulnerable workers and undermine the visa system, the Trump administration aims to protect both American farms and the rights of immigrant laborers who come to the United States legally.
Department of Labor Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito emphasized that the defendants’ conduct “undermines the H‑2A visa program, a system designed to meet legitimate agricultural labor needs.” The ongoing federal effort underscores a commitment to enforce immigration laws while safeguarding the interests of lawful employers and workers alike.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
