JUSTICE FOR WORKERS
CALIFORNIA MUST LEAD AGAINST LABOR TRAFFICKING
Protect Immigrant Workers From Exploitation - Support AB 1362
Problem: Historically and pervasively, workers who enter the United States on temporary visa programs are defrauded, abused, and subjected to human trafficking because of false promises and the illegal schemes of foreign labor recruiters (FLRs). With little to no Federal oversight over these programs which have expanded exponentially in the last few years and expected to grow immensely in coming years, it is essential that California expand protections for all temporary immigrant workers. |
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Goal: To create transparency and clarify existing law to ensure that all temporary visa holders working in California are protected by the statutory framework for Foreign Labor Recruiters (FLR) enacted in 2014 under SB-477. Amended bill language can be found here. |
Impact: Due to misinterpretation, current law under SB-477 (Steinberg) only regulates H-2B visas, or less than 3% of roughly 350,000 temporary immigrant workers who come to the state every year. The same framework and infrastructure that was adopted for H-2B workers can easily be expanded to protect all temporary visa workers across various industries from tech and engineering to construction and agriculture. |
Additional Information
- Sponsor Fact Sheet for AB 1362: AB 1362 (Kalra) Amended (Sept. 2025)
- Author Fact Sheet: AB 1362: The Human Trafficking Prevention and Protection Act for Temporary Immigrant Workers
SIX SIMPLE STEPS TO SUPPORT AB 1362
TELL GOVERNOR NEWSOM TO SIGN THIS BILL TODAY
STEP 1: Go to https://www.gov.ca.gov/contact/ |
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STEP 2: Under “Topic” select “An Active Bill” |
STEP 3: Under “What specific bill?” Select “AB 1362 - Foreign Labor Contractor Registration |
STEP 4: For “what is the purpose of your message” select “Leave a comment” |
STEP 5: Under “If applicable, what is your stance on this topic?” Select “Pro” |
STEP 6: Copy and Paste the following into the message:AB 1362 protects the 40-50,000 H-2A agricultural workers coming to California annually from labor trafficking at the point of recruitment. This bill also requires a study to expand protections to all temporary visa holders coming to California—about 350,000 individuals every year. Governor Newsom signing this bill is especially urgent now. Under the Trump administration, federal protections for temporary workers were rolled back—making it easier for recruiters to exploit workers without oversight. At the same time, mass deportation policies have created a climate of fear with many undocumented arrested and deported. This means as deportations increase and labor shortages in CA and elsewhere grow we’re likely to see a surge in the use of temporary work visas to fill gaps in agriculture, caregiving, and other essential industries. That means more vulnerable workers entering California—and more opportunities for exploitation if you don’t act to protect these workers. AB 1362 is California’s chance to step in where federal protections have failed. Its urgent that you sign AB 1362. |
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