Harrowing allegations of labor trafficking and exploitation have emerged from a recent court filing, painting a grim picture of the plight faced by some H-2A guest workers in the United States. On February 6, 2026, Hector Camarillo-Cruz filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia against Refugio Flores, T & R Farm Blueberries LLC, and Midway Berries LLC. The lawsuit alleges that these defendants were involved in a multi-state labor trafficking scheme that exploited Camarillo-Cruz and others like him.
According to the complaint, Hector Camarillo-Cruz was recruited from Mexico under false pretenses to work in Georgia’s 2024 blueberry harvest. He was promised employment under the benefits and protections of the H-2A program but found himself trapped in a cycle of debt and fear. The Eberry Harvest Company, LLC, led by its owner Refugio Flores, allegedly failed to reimburse pre-employment expenses or pay earned wages while using threats of deportation and blacklisting to keep him confined to his job. When Camarillo-Cruz suffered an injury due to strenuous working conditions and requested medical care, he claims Eberry Harvest refused assistance and retaliated by terminating his employment.
The plaintiff seeks justice under several legal frameworks including the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (AWPA), Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and Georgia contract law. The complaint details how Camarillo-Cruz was systematically underpaid, housed in substandard conditions without adequate food or water, and subjected to threats if he attempted to leave or assert his rights. It is alleged that Defendants failed to extend his visa as promised, leaving him vulnerable without legal work authorization after August 14, 2024.
Camarillo-Cruz is seeking unpaid wages along with statutory liquidated damages, general damages for emotional distress, punitive damages for egregious conduct by defendants, as well as pre-judgment interest and attorney’s fees. His attorneys argue that these actions constitute violations not only of federal laws designed to protect migrant workers but also breach contractual obligations made during recruitment.
Representing Hector Camarillo-Cruz are attorneys Juan Alberto Barragan-Rangel, Solimar Mercado-Spencer, and Lisa J. Krisher from Georgia Legal Services Program. The case has been assigned Case ID: 7:26-cv-00031-WLS with proceedings overseen by Judge WLS at the Middle District of Georgia’s Valdosta Division.
Source: 726cv00031_Hector_Camarillo_v_Eberry_Harvest_Complaint_Middle_District_of_Georgia.pdf
