Yesenia Cuello, NC Field + NCEJN Board Co-Chair
We’re encouraged to see federal authorities investigating and bringing charges in this Washington, N.C. forced labor case. Accountability matters. But we also know this is not an isolated incident — it reflects deeper systemic failures that leave essential farmworkers vulnerable to exploitation, particularly within farm labor contracting systems.
As we approach peak agricultural season in eastern North Carolina, we must apply an environmental justice lens. Essential workers are laboring in extreme heat, exposed to pesticides, and too often living in substandard housing — all while facing significant barriers to reporting abuse.
These violations of human rights and environmental justice are preventable. We know what works: buyers and retailers must adopt strong supply chain accountability standards; labor contracting practices must be transparent and subject to meaningful oversight; and housing standards must be strengthened to prohibit the use of outhouses and ensure dignified living conditions — including adequate access to water and sanitation, not just a one-gallon bucket for washing clothes.
No other industry in this nation is as essential — or places its workers at greater risk — as agriculture. We must move beyond reactive enforcement and invest in prevention. The lives of the workers who feed this nation — and the integrity of our entire food system — depend on it.
