Table 2

Enforcement of the H-2A visa program: Back wages and civil money penalties assessed by the Wage and Hour Division resulting from H-2A violations, fiscal years 2000–2019

Fiscal year Cases with violations Total violations under H-2A Average violations per case Employees receiving back wages Back wages ($2019) Average back wages per employee ($2019) Civil monetary penalties assessed ($2019)
Total or average 3,343 113,836 34 41,869 $24,276,900 $580 $31,268,700
2000 68 1,100 16 307 $136,800 $446 $203,400
2001 102 9,739 95 1,185 $675,000 $570 $374,300
2002 121 3,606 30 1,043 $289,800 $278 $247,100
2003 76 3,440 45 937 $502,700 $537 $433,400
2004 79 1,910 24 560 $189,100 $338 $242,000
2005 73 2,415 33 947 $476,400 $503 $375,200
2006 86 1,084 13 265 $277,600 $1,048 $73,600
2007 95 3,270 34 1,826 $544,000 $298 $95,700
2008 114 3,314 29 1,064 $762,400 $717 $524,400
2009 117 4,152 35 1,487 $478,700 $322 $369,500
2010 100 3,730 37 954 $436,200 $457 $419,600
2011 170 5,987 35 1,548 $926,600 $599 $889,500
2012 216 10,214 47 3,228 $2,014,000 $624 $3,644,900
2013 232 11,171 48 4,440 $4,889,800 $1,101 $6,565,400
2014 173 6,954 40 2,971 $1,491,000 $502 $1,911,200
2015 207 7,935 38 2,496 $1,732,400 $694 $4,231,600
2016 235 6,079 26 3,572 $1,546,500 $433 $2,368,500
2017 330 7,314 22 3,717 $2,480,400 $667 $2,343,100
2018 318 8,438 27 4,328 $2,007,500 $464 $3,119,900
2019 431 11,984 28 4,994 $2,419,800 $485 $2,836,600

 

Note: Dollar amounts reported in this table have been adjusted for inflation to constant 2019 dollars using the CPI-U-RS. As a result, the dollar amounts presented here may differ from the amounts reported in the source data. Totals may not sum due to rounding.

Source: Authors’ analysis of U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Agriculture data table (U.S. DOL-WHD 2020a).

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