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).