🎉 Our Fellow’s Impact: Mónica Pirela

At NotiVisión Georgia, Mónica Pirela is expanding access to critical information through both investigative reporting and direct community outreach. In addition to publishing digitally, she is developing a printed pamphlet to deliver essential labor rights information directly to workers and families who may not rely on social media. This approach reflects a core principle of community journalism: equity in information requires multiple formats, and trust is built not only through digital reach, but through presence, language access, and face-to-face engagement. Her work is grounded in service, accountability, and the lived realities of immigrant communities.

Originally published in Spanish to directly serve impacted communities, Mónica’s investigation exposes alleged fraud and labor abuses within the H-2A visa program in Georgia. While the state’s agricultural industry generated more than $18 billion in 2024, workers recruited from Mexico describe overcrowded housing, withheld wages, threats, and retaliation. Her reporting situates these testimonies within broader systemic failures, including weakened federal protections and past forced labor cases tied to the program.

“By interacting with the mentors, we have had the opportunity to broaden our horizon in searching for data for the investigation and, above all, to navigate the difficulties that arose throughout the course of the work,”

—Mónica Pirela, Altavoz Lab 2025 Fellow

Share it with your community, and help amplify reporting that protects workers and strengthens accountability.

This investigation was supported by Altavoz Lab, which works to strengthen and amplify the work of community journalists.

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