York Police have broken a ring that imported 64 Mexican workers on false pretenses and held them in deplorable conditions while they were assigned to work on farms and in factories.
"To see the state of the workers' living conditions, considering the promises that were made to them, was heartbreaking," said York police Chief Jim MacSween.
But it’s apparently not new.
"What we see often in situations like this is that police come in, do a big splash, call it human trafficking ... and within a few weeks, workers are being deported," said Syed Hussan, executive director of the Migrant Workers Alliance of Canada.
Rather than police, who lack the tools to secure rights for exploited workers, immigration, housing and labour authorities should work to ensure the workers aren't doubly punished, first by being exploited and then by being removed from Canada, he said.
"This is a systemic issue.... Many migrants are facing these issues because they don't have permanent residence rights," said Hussan.
On Feb. 8, police acting on search warrants in East Gwillimbury, Vaughan, Toronto and Mississauga located dozens of workers who they say were lured to Canada with promises of a better future.
Instead, they were given mattresses on the floor, housed with dozens in bug-infested rooms, faced threats and, in some cases, say police, sexual assault.
"These workers are coerced with promises of a better life, decent wages, quality housing and eventually documentation. These are almost always false promises," York Regional Police Deputy Chief Alvaro Almeida told reporters.
Police laid charges against five people and are looking for two more.
