USA v. Patricio et al. is a case arising out of South Georgia which documents dozens of victims of modern-day slavery.Exploitation of farm workers included being required to dig onions with their bare hands, paid 20 cents for each bucket harvested, and threatened with guns and violence to keep them in line. Id. The workers were held in cramped, unsanitary quarters and fenced work camps with little or no food, limited plumbing and without safe water.Id. The conspirators are accused of raping, kidnapping and threatening or attempting to kill some of the workers or their families, and in many cases sold or traded the workers to other conspirators. Id. At least two of the workers died as a result of workplace conditions. Id. 

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Operation Blooming Onion, as a collection references USA v. Patricio et al. to highlight the severity of the modern immigrant experience. However, the collection is inspired by my father's experience as an immigrant farmworker. 

Color is used to guide the viewer and evoke specific emotions. The story begins with an eagerness and desire to prosper in a new country, the desire to achieve the American Dream. This aspiration quickly shifts into disappointment, and the realization of the prominent oppression of immigrants in this country. The inferiority complex is evoked with the repetitive use of brown in various shades and is also used to represent the working class. The color black is used as a reference to the effects of discrimination and oppression. It is also used to symbolize the strong sense of purpose and responsibility that arises out of raising a family, and establishing roots in this country. Culture and religion play a huge part of the immigrant experience. The collection concludes with the color green, and a college t-shirt to evoke a feeling of hope and the promise of a better future.  

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United State's Attorney's Office, Department of Justice, Human smuggling, forced labor among allegations in south Georgia federal indictment (2021) available at: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdga/pr/human-smuggling-forced-labor-among-allegations-south-georgia-federal-indictment.