Wage theft hits immigrants — hard

By SUSAN FERRISS and JOE YERARDI
The Center for Public Integrity

Immigrants perform some of America’s lowest-paying, most arduous jobs, and are among those most victimized by employers failing to pay them fairly. Even if they have support to file a lawsuit or a claim — with a state labor agency or the U.S. Department of Labor — they often settle for less to get money faster or must wait as cases drag on. Audelia Molina, a Mexican immigrant who earned 10 cents for every garment she trimmed at a factory in Los Angeles, was owed almost $23,000 by her employer. She waited two years to be compensated.