The U.S. Department of Labor is investigating Battle Fish North, a catfish farm and processing operation in Tunica County, Mississippi, after current and former Mexican temporary workers alleged persistent verbal abuse, racism, unpaid wages and substandard housing, Mississippi Today reported. A department spokeswoman, Erika Ruthman, confirmed an open investigation but declined to provide further details to protect the integrity of the probe.
The department previously investigated the farm in 2023 for alleged violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and H-2A rules and later sued the company and its owners, saying they obstructed the inquiry, according to court filings reviewed by Mississippi Today. The case ended in a consent decree in which Battle Fish did not “admit nor deny” the allegations, and a judge ordered the farm to comply with labor law and improve worker access to information about their rights.
Current and former employees interviewed by Mississippi Today — seven in all, including two who allowed their names to be used, Jacob Vargas Huante and Francisco Chávez Barajas — said management used threats of violence and the denial of H-2A contracts to discourage complaints. Vargas told Mississippi Today, “I was a victim; tomorrow it could be someone else,” and four workers said they quit to escape the conditions. One former employee said he was not rehired after speaking with Labor Department investigators.
Investigators who inspected the farm in 2023 reported that management’s intimidating conduct produced a “chilling effect” that left workers afraid to speak, according to a sworn statement by Kristina Espinoza, one of the inspectors. Court records also quote an employee saying he could no longer endure insults from foreman Martín Valencia. Former U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su wrote in a court memo that the department’s review found a “broad and ongoing pattern of threats and intimidation” at Battle Fish.
Battle Fish is a family operation outside Tunica that includes the Magnolia Processing Inc. plant. The facility processes about 10 million pounds of fish a year and authorized 14 H-2A workers for the 2026 season, Feb. to Nov., according to Mississippi Today and government records. Attorneys for the company said the 2023 issues were resolved. Andrew Dulaney, who has represented Battle Fish, told Mississippi Today the matters were settled amicably and stemmed from “misunderstandings”; attorney Brandon Davis said it would be “inappropriate” to discuss the current investigation but that the company would cooperate. Ruthman would not say whether the inquiry was routine or complaint-driven. Mexico’s Consul General in New Orleans, Noemí Hernández, told Mississippi Today the consulate often receives complaints from Mexican workers in Mississippi and that some cases have involved violence.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
