Ex-employees at St Regis resort allege they were recruited under J-1 visa internship program and exploited to work for low wages
A class-action lawsuit filed by a former employee at a five-star hotel resort in Aspen, Colorado, alleges they and other workers were recruited under the J-1 visa internship program but exploited to work low-wage, menial duties rather than receive the internship training required under the visa program.
Daniel Esteban Camas López, a culinary arts student from Mexico, came to Aspen in autumn2020 under the J-1 visa internship program. He was transferred to the St Regis Aspen resort operated by Marriott International in May 2021 to complete his internship when the hotel he worked at initially had closed for renovations after the busy winter season.
He said he was initially excited to intern at the St Regis, a five-star luxury hotel resort where stays can cost over $2,000 a night and guests can receive butler service, but quickly found the promises and plan for his internship signed by himself and his employer were not going to be fulfilled.
Instead, he would be used as a source of cheap labor, where he would be overworked and paid less than workers he would be tasked with training. The lawsuit is aimed at highlighting abuse of the J-1 visa program when companies allegedly use it as a way of paying workers low wages.
Camas López paid his visa sponsor, Alliance Abroad Group LP, a total program fee of $3,900 and owed a financial penalty if they left...
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