Harnessing the Power of Collaboration: Civil Legal Services, a Law Student, and the Employment Law Section Provide Justice for Migrant Workers

• Year: 2025
• Citation: Vol. 38 No. 1 Pg. 46
• Pages: 46
• Date: 01 January 2025

Harnessing the Power of Collaboration: Civil Legal Services, a Law Student, and the Employment Law Section Provide Justice for Migrant WorkersNo. Vol. 38 No. 1 Pg. 46Utah Bar JournalJanuary, 2025

Civil Legal Services, a Law Student, and the Employment Law Section Provide Justice for Migrant Workers

by Pamela Beatse and Connor Dela-Cruz

Imagine facing a dangerous or difficult situation, where you do not know what to do or where to go for help. You feel overwhelmed and think that people do not even notice you. You also may believe that there simply is no help available. This is often the case when Utah Legal Services (ULS) steps in and provides legal aid. Many attorneys are aware of the assistance ULS provides to Utahns facing domestic violence or family issues, eviction defense, consumer protection, and help getting public benefits. Less well-known are the services ULS provides to older adults, Native American tribe members, and migrant workers throughout the state. ULS often must do extensive outreach to let people know how ULS can help them, traveling to rural areas, reservations, and farm work camps to explain that even the most vulnerable have rights.

This is important and meaningful work, yet resources are often stretched thin. With a staff of around seventy attorneys, paralegals, and support staff, ULS cannot serve every person who needs help. As requests for help rise, ULS turns to Utah's law schools for additional support through intern, extern, and fellowship programs. Last year, the migrant worker unit recognized that they had too many cases and not enough staff to handle the tremendous need from workers facing forced labor situations. Applicants had valid wage claims against their employers, but ULS did not have enough resources to process all their complaints.

PAMELA BEATSE is the Executive Director of Utah Legal Services.

Fortunately, the Utah Bar Foundation and the Labor and Employment Section of the Utah State Bar were able to help by funding and arranging for a Spanish-speaking fellow, Connor Dela-Cruz, to help in the ULS migrant worker unit this past summer. The fellowship was a remarkable opportunity for these groups to fill a significant need while helping prepare a law student for practice. Connor was a tremendous asset to ULS and helped the migrant team process many claims. He also got the benefit of seeing how a nonprofit civil legal aid firm functions, and real-world experience in the law. Here is more about his work and his story, in his own words:

Mr. Dela-Cruz

One would not guess that labor trafficking exists in Utah. Over the summer of 2024, I learned otherwise. I was disappointed to learn how many unscrupulous Utah employers victimize foreign nationals by sponsoring their U.S. visas and then subjecting them to intolerable work and inhumane living conditions. The defendants in the cases I worked on were all local Utah-based companies. Those companies were owned and operated by respected members of their industries, including agriculture, construction, and landscaping. In each case, our clients came to Utah relying on the promise of work and financial security for their families. In each case, their employers lied to them.

CONNOR...