“Broken promises shatter workers’ American dreams”

… When the HyLife pork plant in Windom shuttered a year ago, declaring bankruptcy and laying off 1,000 people, the plant's hundreds of guest workers faced a distressing choose-your-own-adventure scenario: stay in the U.S. illegally, gain a new visa or temporary legal status, or return to Mexico.

One year later, HyLife workers are scattered in a loosely tethered, continent-wide diaspora scrambling for new work. Some are still picking up the pieces; others are working to regain the financial and professional footing…

… the state of Guanajuato has among the highest homicide rates in Mexico…

While debate over immigration in the U.S. is often subsumed by rhetoric about border security and national identity, on the south side of the border, it's about economics and safety. Workers leave to build a better life, fleeing violence or entrenched joblessness…

People in Salvatierra told the Star Tribune about a local man who was robbed and killed when paying a bribe to recruiters for a guest-worker program…

… The state of Minnesota has also sought repayment of HyLife workers through a bankruptcy case in Delaware…

In a statement, the company, which has since sold the plant, said, "We understand the 2023 plant closure impacted our employees and regret the hardships faced. We operated in good faith and did our best in a challenging situation."…