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$8M Awarded To Migrant Workers Who Were Deported

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May 18, 2009 8:10 pm US/Mountain

$8M Awarded To Migrant Workers Who Were Deported

HUDSON, Colo. (CBS4) ― A federal judge in Denver has awarded nearly $8 million to five migrant workers, but chances are they will see little or none of that money.

The ruling came in a case CBS4 has been following since 2006.

It was a civil lawsuit by five migrant workers who entered the U.S. illegally. The migrant workers had housing near Hudson and were convicted in federal court on criminal charges, served time, then deported. They didn't appear, nor did attorneys appear for them, in the suit. So the judge awarded $1.5 million to each. The problem now is getting the money.

The workers were housed in decrepit barracks.

"The bottom floor has bathroom facilities and large amounts of mold," an immigration agent noted at the time.

It was run by Moises and Maria Rodriguez who were convicted on criminal charges of smuggling and harboring illegal immigrants. They were deported to Mexico. After denying he was involved in smuggling, their son, Javier, pleaded guilty and got probation.

"Some time we give them a ride from Phoenix over here, but we never smuggled them," Javier said.

Members of the Rodriguez family said much of the mess was created by the workers themselves and the prosecution was unfair.

"We were just helping them out and now my grandma and grandpa are in jail," said family member Kristy Rodriguez. "And for what, just helping people out? You know that ain't fair. That ain't nice."

Grant Family Farms in northern Colorado was also named in the civil suit by the migrants who sometimes worked there. They settled out of court.

Some of those migrant workers who won the suit remain in the U.S. after testifying for the criminal case.

As for collecting on the civil suit there may be some money from the Rodriguez property and perhaps a bank account, but the migrants' attorney says it's not a lot.

(© MMX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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