A group of farming companies operating in California and Washington will pay $3.5 million to settle US Department of Labor allegations they failed to comply with requirements of the H-2A visa program by favoring visa holders over US citizens, Bloomberg Law reports.

Blueberry farming companies Munger Bros. LLC, Crowne Cold Storage and Sarbanand Farms have agreed to settle the allegations they illegally hired foreign workers over US citizens. The H-2A program requires employers to make efforts to hire qualified citizen workers before turning to visa holders.

The farms have been under investigation by other agencies for poor work conditions, as well. Read more from Bloomberg Law.

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