“This campaign is an important opportunity to empower caregivers to take collective action and mobilize the broader community to defend migrant rights.”
MANILA — Filipino grassroots organizations in Los Angeles have launched a petition campaign to expose the plight of trafficked Filipino caregivers and demand accountability from employers and government agencies over persistent labor exploitation.
In late 2024, a group of Filipino caregivers in Lancaster reached out to Migrante San Fernando Valley to report severe labor abuse.
Most of them were deployed through State 101, a Philippine-based travel agency that facilitates B1/B2 visa applications—non-immigrant visas issued to foreign nationals traveling to the United States for business or tourism.
Prior to deployment, the workers were promised free food and housing, a monthly allowance of P99,000 ($1,636.88), and a pathway to legal documentation. Despite claims that no employment was required, they paid as much as P385,000 (around $6,365.64) to join the program.
Upon arrival, however, the caregivers said they were paid a flat rate of $70 a day and made to work overnight without compensation. Some reported working around the clock, at times going multiple nights without sleep.
As live-in caregivers, they were housed in the facility’s garage. They also discovered that the process for their legal documentation was fraudulent.
Campaign for justice
In response, Filipino grassroots groups launched the Justice for Trafficked Lancaster Caregivers (J4TLC) campaign to defend the rights and welfare of affected workers.
The campaign calls on employers to stop abusive practices and demands accountability from recruitment agencies, including their closure.
It also urges government offices such as the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Migrant Workers’ Office to condemn abusive employers, ensure payment of unpaid wages, and provide immediate legal and welfare assistance to the workers.
The group also called on Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to address the root causes of labor migration and ensure the protection of Filipino workers abroad.
“This campaign is an important opportunity to empower caregivers to take collective action and mobilize the broader community to defend migrant rights,” J4TLC said.
“Campaigns like this show that migrant workers can fight for dignified livelihoods wherever they are.”
The full sign-on campaign may be accessed here: https://tinyurl.com/SignOn2J4TLC
Not isolated
Viva Vargas, an organizer from Migrante San Fernando Valley, said the trafficking of Filipino workers is rooted in systemic conditions in the Philippines.
“People don’t have livelihoods or land to provide for themselves and their families. They are forced to go abroad to survive,” Vargas said.
“Instead of addressing these issues, the government promotes labor export programs that make migrants more vulnerable to trafficking. At the same time, the U.S. economy depends on cheap labor from countries like the Philippines.”
Leo, a migrant worker in Los Angeles, said his experience mirrors that of the Lancaster caregivers.
“When I came here in 2009, the promised job was not what it was supposed to be,” he said.
Leo recalled borrowing around $6,000 from relatives and taking out loans to pay recruitment fees. He was previously a factory worker in Cavite before being trafficked to the United States under false promises of stable employment and a pathway to permanent residency.
“Workers must unite to end exploitation and trafficking. Justice will not come unless we organize and fight for our rights,” he said.
Advocates stressed that the situation faced by the Lancaster caregivers reflects widespread patterns of underpayment, abuse, and labor trafficking among Filipino migrant workers. (RTS, RVO)
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