Feudalism in Freehold: Day Laborers Under Attack

By Maria M. Perales

October 2004

The exploitation of day laborers in Freehold, New Jersey, as in other cities around the nation forms the basis of an ongoing construction boom. Excluded from the protection of federal labor legislation, they are also subject to feudalistic laws permitting their arrest on unspecified charges, restricting their right to seek employment in public areas and criminalizing them as “illegal guests” not registered with the town. Assisted by the LatinoJustice PRLDEF, these workers have won some gains, but their fight has only begun.