Jill Bloom speaks with Legal Expert Trent Cotney on the process of OSHA issuing U or T visas in this episode of “If Walls Can Talk.”

These are visas for people that may have a certain history of objectionable activity, such as hate crimes or human trafficking. What OSHA is doing is that it has someone that is illegal that is working for a contractor and if one assists them, then one can get you one of these U or T visas. That is a big carrot out there, Cotney says. 

The justification is that OSHA feels they can’t appropriately moderate this. The idea is that OSHA is adverse to safety violations. 

What is the upside for the employee? “If you’re a migrant and instead of getting you deported, if you cooperate, you can stay in the country but you have to help. Despite the best efforts of the employers, at the end of the day, documentation is key,” Cotney says.