Prosecutors say they’re keeping tabs on other cases in the construction industry where contractors are exploiting immigrant workers
Riham Feshir
Minneapolis
November 18, 2019 7:40 p.m
A Twin Cities contractor accused of exploiting immigrant workers was supposed to face criminal charges in a first-of-its-kind trial in Hennepin County this week.
But Ricardo Batres instead pleaded guilty Monday to labor trafficking, and prosecutors say other cases in the construction industry are coming.
Batres, 47, admitted he took advantage of employees’ federal immigration status to force them to work for him. In one case, he bailed one of his workers out of immigration custody, but told him the man would need to pay off his debt. He also he lied on his workers compensation insurance papers to save money.
Batres took the deal, pleading guilty to labor trafficking and insurance fraud, after acknowledging that the evidence against him was strong.
“The insurance fraud and other things are not very good things,” said Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman after the hearing. “But what’s really bad is when you’re trafficking in human beings.”
Batres’ case marked the first time his office prosecuted someone under the state’s labor trafficking statute. But it won’t be the last, Freeman said.
“We are looking at other cases now,” he said. “We spent most of our time and energy, all of us, making sure this one worked. The industry is watching for a change, and they don’t like this. It makes the industry look bad.”