California bill fights predatory labor trafficking practices targeting migrant workers | Opinion

Back in the Philippines, I worked as a hotel attendant until I lost my job. My family depended on me, and I dreamed of continuing my studies, but those dreams were slipping away. When a labor contractor offered me a job as a janitor in the United States, I grabbed onto it like a lifeline. I believed I was finally getting the chance to change our lives for the better.

But the promise I was given quickly turned into a trap.

Before I even arrived in the U.S., everything changed: I found out that I wouldn’t be placed in the state I had been told. Then, I was forced to sign a new contract I didn’t fully understand — not for a janitor position, but a hotel job. And unlike my original contract, which promised free housing, food and transportation, the new one said I’d have to pay for everything myself.

When I landed in the U.S., my employer took my passport. They told me — and the others — that if we didn’t go along with these new terms, we’d be deported.

My story is like too many other temporary workers.

That’s why I support Assembly Bill 1362, authored by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San José), which passed the California Assembly on June 2 with strong bipartisan support — just days before new Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and labor enforcement actions once again reminded us how vulnerable immigrant workers remain, even when they follow every rule.

AB 1362 — the first bill of its kind in the country — would make California a national leader in protecting both human dignity and fair competition in the labor market.

As California welcomes more temporary immigrant workers through growing visa programs, the gap in federal and state oversight has become impossible to ignore. Without enforceable protections, too many workers like me are funneled into dangerous and deceptive recruitment schemes with no way to speak out or seek help. That doesn’t just hurt workers — it also undermines honest businesses that play by the rules.

For three years, I worked and lived in Los Angeles, too afraid to tell anyone the truth. Each week, the money I earned was far too little to repay the debt I had taken on just to get to the U.S. I was constantly moved from one state to another. Each time, I was forced to pay relocation fees and cover new expenses. I fell deeper into debt. I felt more and more afraid. I was stuck — and did not know how to get help.

I stayed silent because I was scared. I kept working because I had no other choice. I often wished someone had warned me. I wished someone had told me I had rights. But more than anything, I wished labor protections in this country meant something — not just in writing, but in practice.

So many temporary workers come to California full of hope, only to find themselves exploited, silenced and forgotten. Their stories, like mine, often remain in the shadows.

That’s why AB 1362 matters. It would make sure workers are properly informed about the terms of their employment and visa. It would demand transparency from recruiters and employers. And it would close the loopholes that allow labor trafficking to flourish in silence.

Now, we need the Senate and Gov. Gavin Newsom to carry this vital legislation across the finish line.