Max Blau
@maxblau.bsky.social
Atlanta-based investigative reporter with ProPublica's South team, covering health care, public health, and the environment. Get in touch at [email protected].
The lawsuit cites @propublica.org's reporting on provider directory errors and how insurers have driven mental health providers to quit their networks. You can read all of our past coverage on the ways insurers interfere with mental health care here: www.propublica.org/series/ameri...
January 9, 2026 at 1:55 PM
The lawsuit cites @propublica.org's reporting on provider directory errors and how insurers have driven mental health providers to quit their networks. You can read all of our past coverage on the ways insurers interfere with mental health care here: www.propublica.org/series/ameri...
I’m continuing to report on the state of the H-2A program in the months ahead. Are you a H-2A worker? Do you employ H-2A workers? Are you a regulator? Or have another role related to the H-2A program? I’d like to hear from you. Please get in touch: propublica.org/people/max-b...
Max Blau, Reporter
I cover health care, the environment, agriculture and immigration for ProPublica’s South unit.
propublica.org
September 16, 2025 at 3:04 PM
I’m continuing to report on the state of the H-2A program in the months ahead. Are you a H-2A worker? Do you employ H-2A workers? Are you a regulator? Or have another role related to the H-2A program? I’d like to hear from you. Please get in touch: propublica.org/people/max-b...
The H-2A visa program has failed to protect migrant farmworkers from wage theft, forced labor, violence and death. Experts, lawyers and advocates say there are ways to reduce and even prevent the harms. Here's what they think would make the program safer. www.propublica.org/article/h-2a...
Employers Have Exploited and Abused H-2A Farmworkers for Years. It Doesn’t Have to Be That Way.
The seasonal visa program has failed to protect migrant farmworkers from wage theft, forced labor, violence and death. Experts, lawyers and advocates say there are ways to reduce and even stop the har...
www.propublica.org
September 16, 2025 at 3:04 PM
The H-2A visa program has failed to protect migrant farmworkers from wage theft, forced labor, violence and death. Experts, lawyers and advocates say there are ways to reduce and even prevent the harms. Here's what they think would make the program safer. www.propublica.org/article/h-2a...
Read Sofi’s full story and learn more about the challenges facing America’s H-2A program in our ongoing series. Got a tip? Contact us at propublica.org/tips
How to Contact ProPublica or Send a Tip Securely — ProPublica
Our job is to hold people and institutions accountable. To do that, we need evidence.
propublica.org
September 13, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Read Sofi’s full story and learn more about the challenges facing America’s H-2A program in our ongoing series. Got a tip? Contact us at propublica.org/tips
This past June, the Trump administration went one step further, suspending any enforcement of the new program’s rules until that litigation is resolved.
The number of H-2A visas issued has increased every year since Sofi arrived.
The number of H-2A visas issued has increased every year since Sofi arrived.
September 13, 2025 at 12:15 PM
This past June, the Trump administration went one step further, suspending any enforcement of the new program’s rules until that litigation is resolved.
The number of H-2A visas issued has increased every year since Sofi arrived.
The number of H-2A visas issued has increased every year since Sofi arrived.
But though this case revealed how easy it is to exploit and abuse visaholders, little has changed. The Biden administration increased protections for H-2A workers, but several lawsuits filed by states including Georgia have prevented them from fully going into effect.
September 13, 2025 at 12:15 PM
But though this case revealed how easy it is to exploit and abuse visaholders, little has changed. The Biden administration increased protections for H-2A workers, but several lawsuits filed by states including Georgia have prevented them from fully going into effect.
Mendoza declined multiple requests for an interview and did not provide comments in response to ProPublica’s letters detailing the case. His lawyer has maintained that his relationship with Sofi was consensual. Here’s more details on how we were able to report this story.
September 13, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Mendoza declined multiple requests for an interview and did not provide comments in response to ProPublica’s letters detailing the case. His lawyer has maintained that his relationship with Sofi was consensual. Here’s more details on how we were able to report this story.
Mendoza himself brought over 565 people into the country, with pending visa applications for hundreds more. He wasn’t the biggest player of them all. But a lead investigator testified that he was, unquestionably, the most brutal.
September 13, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Mendoza himself brought over 565 people into the country, with pending visa applications for hundreds more. He wasn’t the biggest player of them all. But a lead investigator testified that he was, unquestionably, the most brutal.
Mendoza became one of the first people indicted in Operation Blooming Onion, which exposed widespread abuses of H-2A workers in Georgia. He later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in forced labor.
Operation Blooming Onion is one of the largest H-2A trafficking investigations ever.
Operation Blooming Onion is one of the largest H-2A trafficking investigations ever.
September 13, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Mendoza became one of the first people indicted in Operation Blooming Onion, which exposed widespread abuses of H-2A workers in Georgia. He later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in forced labor.
Operation Blooming Onion is one of the largest H-2A trafficking investigations ever.
Operation Blooming Onion is one of the largest H-2A trafficking investigations ever.