Operation Blooming Onion was an investigation conducted by the federal government of the United States into alleged fraud and criminal activity stemming from the H-2A visa program, primarily in South Georgia. The operation involved several federal agencies, led by Homeland Security Investigations. The investigation began in November 2018 and resulted in the indictment of 24 individuals in 2021 for several crimes, including several counts of conspiracy. It is considered one of the largest law enforcement operations of its kind in U.S. history.
In South Georgia, many migrant workers, primarily from Latin America, are employed in agricultural work, including the harvest of Vidalia onions. These migrants are present via the H-2A visa program, which allows a person in the United States to sponsor workers, with the sponsor being required to provide payment, food, housing, and transportation for the worker. Beginning in 2018, federal investigators, acting on a tip from a human trafficking hotline, began to investigate Maria Leticia Patricio and others associated with her, believing that they were operating a transnational criminal organization (TCO). Their investigation revealed that the TCO had brought in many migrant workers from Latin America who had been subject to exploitation and poor living and working conditions. Two individuals had died due to the conditions, and there were several reported incidents of kidnapping, violent threats, and rape. Investigators referred to the situation as one of "modern-day slavery".
In November 2021, federal investigators executed over 20 search warrants and announced indictments against 24 individuals, with charges including conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy to engage in forced labor, forced labor, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and tampering with a witness. Over the next several years, many of the accused have pled guilty. In the aftermath, over 100 individuals were freed from the scheme, and advocates have pushed for reforms within the federal government of the H-2A visa program.