Greenpeace activists hold a banner reading “Protect Oceans Protect Workers” in front of Taiwanese longliner Chyuan Shenq No. 226 in the North Pacific Ocean. © Ulet Ifansasti / Greenpeace Human trafficking remains entrenched in the global industrial fishing sector, where exploitative labor practices often overlap with destructive fishing operations. The International Labor Organization estimates that more than 128,000 fishers are trapped in situations of forced labor at sea, with high risks of injury, abuse, and death.  The 2025 U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons report, released this week, acknowledged the presence of systemic issues of forced labor in fishing, but failed to accurately rank some key actors in the global seafood supply chain that contribute to these issues. What is the TIP Report?  The Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, published annually by the U.S. Department of State since 2001, is a primary U.S. government tool for assessing global anti-trafficking efforts. Each of the 188 governments is ranked according to its compliance with the standards in the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA): Tier 1: Full compliance with the minimum standards. Tier 2: Making significant efforts but still falling short. Tier 2 Watch List: Making significant efforts but with very high or rising number of victims and without increased government efforts.  Tier 3: Not meeting the minimum standards and no significant effort to improve underway. Combating human trafficking globally has for decades been a U.S. priority with bipartisan support. In principle, these rankings, considered the most comprehensive review of government action to prevent trafficking, protect victims, and prosecute traffickers, are meant to pressure governments to improve, as a low ranking carries the possibility of U.S. sanctions.  In practice, however, the report has long faced criticisms for its inconsistencies, political influence, and failure to reflect on-the-ground realities reported by workers and documented by human rights groups, and civil society organizations, including various entities in the Greenpeace network. In advance of the 2025 report, Greenpeace offices and civil society partners submitted detailed evidence on forced labor and trafficking in the fishing sector in Taiwan and Indonesia — two of the largest players in the global seafood industry — to the State Department to inform their understanding of these issues.   Keep reading for more information about the TIP Report, what information Greenpeace offices submitted, and why we believe Indonesia and Taiwan’s rankings were undeserved.  The Situation in Taiwan Greenpeace activists protest in front of the Fisheries Agency of Taiwan to push for the government towards progressive policy reform. Da Wang, a Taiwanese fishing vessel was charged of a human trafficking issue after the investigation and report released by Greenpeace. © Greenpeace / Chad Liu Taiwan operates one of the world’s largest distant water fishing fleets but has taken little substantive action to address issues that lead to systemic forced labor, according to comments submitted by Greenpeace USA, endorsed by Greenpeace East Asia – Taipei Office, to the State Department.  These comments included: Noting the continued listing of fish from Taiwan in the U.S. Department of Labor’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor, which indicates significant risks of forced labor in the industry.  Documentation of 10 confirmed cases of forced labor. Evidence of inadequate investigation of reports of forced labor and failure to identify victims. An analysis of policy failures, including no mandate for ships to return to port every three to six months, ongoing allowance of transshipment at sea, and no requirement for free, secure, and reliable Wi-Fi on vessels — gaps which leave fishers isolated, and limited in their ability to communicate, organize, report abuses, and file grievances.  Greenpeace USA recommended that Taiwan be downgraded from Tier 1 to Tier 2.  The Situation in Indonesia The Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (SBMI) together with Greenpeace Indonesia conducted a peaceful action in front of Presidential Palace in Jakarta, to encourage the President to immediately ratify the Government Regulation draft on the Protection of Indonesian migrant fishers. According to the SBMI-Greenpeace Investigation Report Paper regarding data during 2015-2020, there were at least 11 Indonesian crew members who were victims of forced labor and even died on foreign ships. It is not uncommon for their bodies to be thrown into the high seas. © Adhi Wicaksono / Greenpeace For the first time, Greenpeace Indonesia supported a joint civil society submission on Indonesia’s efforts to combat human trafficking. The comments were presented by Sumatera Environmental Initiative (SEI) along with the Union of Indonesian Migrant Workers (SBMI) and the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG).  Their comments noted: Persistent and egregious failures to identify victims, prosecute traffickers, and prevent recruitment abuses. Continued denial of justice to 12 migrant fishers from Aceh, whose experiences of human trafficking were documented in detail in a report presented to the Indonesian government more than a year ago. Consistent failure of local governments to prevent the trafficking of Indonesian nationals onto fishing vessels, including the presence of illegal recruiters in government-run vocational schools, where they are allowed to actively target students for recruitment in the fishing industry.  Police mishandling of trafficking cases and the government’s ongoing failure to properly identify and protect victims.  Based on the severity and persistence of these issues, the coalition called for Indonesia to be downgraded from Tier 2 to the Tier 2 Watchlist or Tier 3. 2025 TIP Report: Progress in Acknowledgment, Failure in Accountability The 2025 TIP Report, released three months late, made progress by including a section recognizing the link between forced labor and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. It also acknowledged systemic failings in both Taiwan and Indonesia.  In the case of Taiwan, it noted fewer investigations and prosecutions, failure to fully implement victim identification, insufficient inspections, siloed responsibilities among ministries, and continued restrictions on migrant workers’ labor rights to change jobs. For Indonesia, it noted endemic corruption and official complicity in trafficking crimes, particularly in the fishing, palm oil, and extractive industries, which severely inhibited law enforcement action.  Despite these findings, the State Department again awarded Taiwan a Tier 1 ranking – for the 16th such consecutive year – while Indonesia maintained its Tier 2 status. Why This Matters By refusing to downgrade Taiwan and Indonesia, the U.S. has sent a dangerous signal to governments that failure to protect workers and prosecute traffickers carries little consequences. For the thousands of fishers trapped in forced labor, this decision means more deferred action on systemic changes to address their isolation and exploitation and less hope of justice. For Big Seafood, it provides cover for them to continue to profit from a business model built on abuse and environmental destruction. Finally, it undermines the credibility of the TIP Report itself as a U.S. foreign policy tool for accountability in anti-trafficking policy. The late release of the TIP report, paired with the steep cuts to the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, the International Labor Relations Bureau, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), further weakens oversight and raises serious concerns about America’s commitment to addressing these issues. The evidence is clear. The stakes are high. Workers deserve better, and governments and industry must be held to account.  What You Can Do Contact your member of Congress. Demand US leadership in combating modern slavery and human trafficking in the fishing industry and support to ensure that key programs and agencies, such as the International Labor Relations Bureau, the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, and NOAA, are protected.  Sign the petition. Tell “Big Seafood” it’s time to stop profiting from modern slavery and to end isolation at sea.  The post The 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report: Progress in Acknowledgment, Failure in Accountability appeared first on Greenpeace.

This blog is a collaboration between two Greenpeace USA supporters based in Oxnard, California. The story we are about to tell is a violent and potentially triggering one. Much of the information outlined here, told to and relayed by the authors, comes from first-hand accounts of the people in attendance and/or a recounting by their family members. Their names and other information have been changed for privacy.  The events that follow are something that pain us to recount, even weeks later.  Last month, on July 10, two farms on the central coast of California were simultaneously raided by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Both were Glass House Farms – one in Carpinteria and one in Camarillo, just outside of Oxnard. The month prior, on June 10, ICE attempted to raid the farm in Camarillo, but was stopped by security, who rightfully barred them from entering private property and requested they come back with a warrant. These words came back to haunt them – exactly one month later to the day, ICE came back with a warrant.  The day was a blur. We drove on a small highway that cuts through endless fields, before turning on a small dirt road to a cluster of cars. As we arrived, we were greeted by tear gas and children’s screams. Many of these kids were waiting for family members who were trapped inside of their workplace, all the while inhaling the mysterious gas. I witnessed a little girl vomiting after being exposed. A local professor got arrested after kicking a tear gas canister out from under the wheelchair of a woman.  ICE lined up on the small road that leads to the farm, blocking any protestors from reaching their family members. Meanwhile, groups of ICE agents were inside, allegedly torturing workers. Other agents reportedly beat up people who were hiding. They threw tear gas in the building’s air vents as workers cowered in fear inside; they turned off the air conditioning; they made people delete any footage off of their phones prior to being allowed outside. One worker, Jaime Alanís Garcia, died days later in the hospital due to his injuries related to the raid. Jaime was the main breadwinner for his family here and in Mexico.  The crowd was trying to hold its own line on the dirt path to prevent any vehicle – other than medical or fire – from entering and any ICE vehicle containing workers from leaving. The crowd began to chant at the agents, “Quit your job! Quit your job!” No reaction. Someone looked one of the masked agents in the eyes: “History will remember you for this. You don’t have to do this. Don’t just blindly follow orders until it’s too late.” No response. They robotically deployed more tear gas at the crowd. A man drove a tank by, shooting pepper balls down at the crowd.  Oxnard is an agricultural city in between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. It is 78% Chicane/Latinx. It is the leading strawberry producer in the United States, and plays a crucial role within California’s strawberry industry, shipping millions of strawberries worldwide. The city is a vibrant community with a long history of labor struggles and resistance between the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) and Chicane communities – like the historic 1903 Oxnard sugar beet strike, a joint effort between Japanese and Mexican workers who formed the Japanese-Mexican Labor Association (JMLA). The strike, which began in February 1903, saw 1,200 workers participating and led to a near-complete shutdown of sugar beet farming in the area as they protested against exploitative labor practices by the Western Agricultural Contracting Company (WACC). The strike is notable for its cross-cultural solidarity and its impact on the American labor movement.  Many of the farmworkers here in the central coast are Mixteco, mostly from the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. Some of them speak only Mixteco, a language whose roots can be traced back to around 10,000 years ago – eons older than the United States and the English language. Most of them have been displaced from their ancestral homelands, and many of them have moved from plantation to plantation since they were children to find work, often ending up here in Oxnard.  Earlier in the day, we had joined a call about, ironically and fittingly, the intersection of climate change and immigration. The topic is becoming more and more popular these days – but what do “climate justice” and “intersectional issues” really mean? What does it mean to contextualize this fascistic rise in brutal deportations within the environmental justice movement? According to the World Resources Institute, “Indigenous Peoples and local communities hold or manage 54% of the world’s remaining intact forests.” What does it mean for the environment if hundreds of thousands of Indigenous people are kicked off their land and out of their rivers, and the earth has been poisoned with chemicals?   The North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, was signed into law on December 8 1993 and took effect on January 1, 1994. A year prior to NAFTA’s implementation, however, the Salinas government violated one of the most sacred articles in the Mexican Constitution and privatized communally held lands, known as ejidos. It was no coincidence that after the passing of NAFTA, these lands were taken from small farmers and given to megacorporations – the same ones that poison the streams, the earth, and the air.  Logically, the effect of displacement is migration. Many displaced peoples migrated inside of Mexico, and many came to the United States looking for survival. ​​Migration from Mexico to the United States was around 350,000 per year before NAFTA – it was around 500,000 per year by the early 2000s.  Fast forward to Camarillo on July 10, 2025, when ICE terrorized the very people who were displaced from their homelands. The United States is using our tax dollars to throw tear gas at children and deploy military tanks to a farm. Why does it seem like the government has endless money to fund tanks, tear gas, and pepper bullets to deploy at unarmed civilians who are just trying to make sure their loved ones can come home safely after a long day’s work? Why isn’t this money instead going toward clean energy, green jobs, and equitable healthcare? Why does it seem that the government always has endless money for violence, but we are barely able to fund crucial programs for our collective wellbeing?   We then went to Carpinteria’s town hall meeting, where we were met with an overwhelming crowd. The joy of seeing so many community members out there and the intensity of the day began to hit us. This joy was swiftly interrupted by calls from people back at the farm asking for assistance.  We returned to Glass House where the crowd was now bigger, and the National Guard was now there helping hold the line. Most of the officers were Brown and seemed young – almost too young to be there. To us, it seemed like most of them did not want to be there, standing off against their own communities. We saw something in their eyes: could it be confusion, pain, anger, or a longing to be on the other side?  “Quit your job!” The crowd kept chanting. We hope they considered it, though we know they are just following orders. Rank-and-file Nazis were also “just following orders.”  We’ve been asking ourselves: how far can humans be pushed? What horrors in humanity have been committed because people blindly follow orders? Fleeing slavery, being Jewish, even opening a bank account as a woman have all been illegal in our not so distant past. The law, while binding, cannot always be our guiding light towards moral truth.  We urge everyone to critically analyze this historical conjuncture. What historical parallels can we find in this emerging moment? What should we do to prevent future atrocities? What does it mean for the environmental and climate movement if it turns a blind eye to the displacement of peoples from their lands?  This year alone, we saw the construction of Alligator Alcatraz, a detention center that was built in a mere eight days and will cost taxpayers around $450 million annually to operate. The project was built on sacred Miccosukee land, but according to the developers, this land was “empty.” There have been reports of inhumane conditions. We also saw the conversion of the Los Angeles Immigration Detention Facility, which has been a prison since 1999, into a large-scale immigration detention center. We have heard first hand reports from inside this facility that the rooms are so frigid, people sign self deportation orders just to escape. People rarely get fed. People do not get access to their medications. One of the detainee’s wives told  us that her husband had called, telling tales of his own broken jaw and other physical abuse by agents.  We are seeing history repeat itself in front of our eyes. If we don’t fight this now, when will we? We can’t wait until it’s too late! We’ve both kept hearing the haunting refrains of this poem recently: First they came for the CommunistsAnd I did not speak outBecause I was not a CommunistThen they came for the SocialistsAnd I did not speak outBecause I was not a SocialistThen they came for the trade unionistsAnd I did not speak outBecause I was not a trade unionistThen they came for the JewsAnd I did not speak outBecause I was not a JewThen they came for meAnd there was no one leftTo speak out for me The poem by German Pastor Martin Niemöller, written in 1946, reminds us that any resource going towards the violence and pain of anyone is a resource taken away from all of our collective wellbeing. What does it mean to make their struggle our struggle? Are we going to stand by and watch as the hardest workers in our communities – who are already facing the worst effects of climate change – get kidnapped? What are we fighting for if not each other?  These are not separate struggles and it’s on us to fight back against this in whatever capacity we can. We need everyone in this together – and there is a role for each one of us. You can join your local rapid response network, help with your local food distribution network, help distribute useful information, join Greenpeace USA, and donate to your local mutual aid network. The more we comply with this abuse, the more this administration will continue to get more aggressive. It can be easy to fall into a hopeless despair, but we have more agency than we think.  We urge you to take your power back and stand up for the things in which you believe. Any small step is better than none.  They won’t stop with immigrants. This moment is a threat to our shared humanity.  The post Turmoil, teargas, and tyranny: two climate activists and one ICE raid in California appeared first on Greenpeace.

Greenpeace US Democracy Director Folabi Olagbaju addresses a rally. © Tim Aubry / Greenpeace WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 2, 2025) – Today, as more than 3,700 organizations from all sectors of civil society across the U.S. release a letter rejecting presidential attacks on nonprofit organizations, Folabi Olagbaju, Democracy Campaign Director, Greenpeace USA, said:  “For 50 years, we have pushed back against  powerful interests — corporate and government alike — to defend the environment and human rights. Greenpeace USA will continue to do so. We are proud to be united with the broader nonprofit and philanthropic community to say loudly and boldly to this administration that we will not be silenced. We will not be intimidated or obey in advance — and will continue to resist efforts to revoke our constitutionally protected rights and halt our mission-driven advocacy work.   “We need to be crystal clear about what this administration has done to our democracy and basic rights. In less than a year it has seized all levers of power, moved to deregulate agencies and rules that protect people and the planet, and rolled back social and environmental progress from over the last seven decades. It has massively enriched its billionaire cronies at the expense of everyday people, while silencing dissent and free speech. And these most recent attacks are yet another move to weaponize key government agencies to go after perceived enemies.” “At Greenpeace we have been down this road before, and no corrupt authoritarians or corporate bullies will deter us from speaking up and doing what is right for people and the planet. This moment is a test — not just for environmental and nonprofit groups, but for every organization and individual who believes in free expression, civic engagement, and the power of movements. This administration, big oil, and billionaire bullies have a playbook for attacking our movements: coming after us in court, trying to revoke our tax-exempt status, and trying to pit us against each other. But we also have our own playbook for resistance and solidarity. We urge our allies, our supporters, and everyone who values democracy to speak out and resist these attacks.” Contact: Madison Carter, Greenpeace USA National Press Secretary, mediausa@greenpeace.org Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa. The post Greenpeace USA rejects presidential attacks on nonprofits, urges resistance appeared first on Greenpeace.

A team from Greenpeace International fly huge ocean themed kites together with a banner reading “Protect The Deep Sea” outside the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston. The event happened during he International Seabed Authority (ISA) council and assembly meeting from the 7th- 25th July 2025 Greenpeace is calling on governments at the ISA to stop deep sea mining before it starts and protect the deep sea. © Kinematix Studios / Greenpeace Kingston, Jamaica (July 26, 2025) – On the penultimate day of the 30th session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the United States delivered a provocative statement dismissing the authority of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as it pertains to deep sea mining for the U.S. The remarks also rejected the principle of the “common heritage of humankind,” signaling a legally dubious and troubling claim that the U.S. is free to pursue unilateral mining of the international seabed, at the expense of what is globally viewed as a commons meant to benefit all humanity.   The move drew immediate criticism from Brazil, France, and China, which called on the U.S. to halt its unilateral push and reaffirmed support for multilateral governance. The rebuke comes as the Trump Administration continues its efforts to fast-track the launch of deep sea mining under Cold War-era domestic legislation—bypassing the ISA’s global regulatory framework—a maneuver widely condemned by governments, civil society, and frontline Pacific Island communities.  Greenpeace USA’s recent report, Deep Deception, reveals how deep sea mining corporations have exploited geopolitical tensions and national security and defense concerns to push forward a dangerous and unnecessary industry. Yet even as the DSM industry tries to cloak itself in national security rhetoric, the report found no prior interest from the U.S. defense sector for deep sea minerals, undermining industry claims of strategic necessity.  Arlo Hemphill, Greenpeace USA’s project lead for the Stop Deep Sea Mining campaign, who attended the meeting in Kingston, said: “The U.S. statement confirms what Deep Deception has already exposed: The Trump Administration’s pursuit of deep sea mining isn’t about global stewardship—it’s about sidestepping it. By rejecting the ISA’s authority while claiming environmental responsibility, the U.S. is trying to have it both ways—and in doing so is advancing a “smash and grab” agenda that puts ocean health and international cooperation at serious risk.  “By refusing to recognize the ISA’s authority while laying the groundwork for a lawless frontier, the U.S. has chosen corporate interests over international law and the concept of the international seabed as Common Heritage meant to benefit all people. ISA member states must draw a clear line: ocean governance cannot be rewritten to serve the few at the expense of the planet. Governments must not allow this rogue colonial strategy to dictate the future of our shared ocean commons.” Earlier this week, the ISA Council launched an investigation into whether mining contractors, including TMC’s subsidiaries Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. (NORI) and Tonga Offshore Mining Limited (TOML), are complying with contractual obligations to act in accordance with the international legal framework. ISA Secretary-General Leticia Carvalho later warned against the unilateral seizure of the seabed, reiterating that the deep-sea belongs to no single country or corporation, and cautioning that efforts are underway to prevent it from becoming “the Wild West” of exploitation.Major General (U.S. Army, Ret.) Randy Manner, said: “I find it deeply troubling to see national security being used as a smokescreen to justify the dismantling of multilateral governance in the deep ocean. True security is rooted in global cooperation, not unilateral resource grabs. There is no strategic national security requirement driving deep sea mining—only a financially motivated one driven by greed. And that makes it all the more dangerous.” Support for a moratorium continues to grow with Croatia becoming the 38th country to call for a ban, pause, or precautionary approach. While high-level representatives from Palau, France, and Panama attended the meeting to rally the international community to defend the deep, the session concluded on Friday without a legal barrier in place to stop mining from proceeding.  Hemphill continued: “Governments must secure a moratorium that leaves no room for a desperate industry to force through a Mining Code. The science is not ready. The legal framework is not in place. The world must not be bullied into an irreversible mistake for the benefit of a few.”  Photos available HERE Contact: Tanya Brooks, Senior Communications Specialist at Greenpeace USA, tbrooks@greenpeace.org   Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa. The post Governments reject Trump’s deep sea mining power grab but fail to adopt moratorium on deep sea mining appeared first on Greenpeace.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 29, 2025)—In response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement that it would rescind the 2009 endangerment finding, John Noël, Greenpeace USA Climate Campaign Director, said: “After decades of scientific research firmly documenting the connection between carbon dioxide and the greenhouse effect — plus the backing of the EPA’s authority to take action by the Supreme Court — we are surprised to hear that carbon pollution has just been a big misunderstanding between the entire world’s scientific community and a few MAGA podcasters. So congrats to Lee Zeldin on his official induction into the Flat Earth Society, Space Laser Investigation Unit, and ChemTrail Facebook Dads.  “This announcement is just one more handout from Trump to Big Oil so that he can line the pockets of billionaires. There’s nothing reasonable or science-based about it.” The endangerment finding serves as the government’s primary basis for setting carbon pollution limits. A rollback of this finding would severely limit the government’s ability to fight climate change and expose countless people to harmful pollution from coal and gas-fired power plants, car and truck exhaust, and methane from the oil and gas industry. Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa. The post Amid EPA rollbacks, polluters rejoice at the people’s expense appeared first on Greenpeace.

Indonesian fishers who sued Bumble Bee, alleging years of forced labor while catching fish sold by the US tuna brand, responded to the company’s motion to dismiss their suit, arguing in the U.S. legal filing on July 31 that they have a right to have their allegations heard in court. This image was taken by Greenpeace USA activists in solidarity with these fishers. © Sandy Huffaker / Greenpeace San Diego, CA (August 1, 2025) — On July 31, Indonesian fishers who sued Bumble Bee, alleging years of forced labor while catching fish sold by the U.S. tuna brand, responded to the company’s motion to dismiss their suit, arguing that they have a right to have their allegations heard in court.   The reply contends that, the plaintiffs plausibly allege, and Bumble Bee does not dispute, that the plaintiffs were forced to labor by the vessel owners and argues the company was long specifically aware of such abuses in its supply chain, asserting this meets the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) standard. The reply also defends the plaintiffs’ negligence claims, stating Bumble Bee’s actions created both risk of forced labor and incentive for the vessel owners to abuse the plaintiffs.  The fishers filed suit against Bumble Bee in March under the TVPRA, one of the first times the seafood industry has been challenged under this Act in a U.S. court. The four fishers allege conditions of forced labor: that they were held in debt bondage, denied fair wages, isolated at sea for months, and subjected to both physical and psychological abuse while catching tuna that was sold by Bumble Bee in the U.S. Sari Heidenreich, senior human rights advisor at Greenpeace USA, said: “The plaintiffs’ reply is clear — their case meets the high standards required by U.S. law and should be heard by the court. I am confident they will prevail.” According to the reply, Bumble Bee sources 95% to 100% of its albacore through its Taiwanese parent company, Fong Chun Formosa (FCF), and a ‘trusted network’ of vessels. The reply argues that many of the vessels in that network, including those “the plaintiffs were forced to work” on, fish exclusively for Bumble Bee. The plaintiffs argue their experiences reflect a broader pattern, partially enabled by Bumble Bee’s continued use of transshipment — a practice widely criticized by experts and increasingly abandoned by other major seafood companies due to its links to forced labor.  Heidenreich continued: “Rather than act to ensure that workers in their supply chain are protected from forced labor and abuse, Bumble Bee has attempted to sweep them aside through a procedural motion. This move is more than just a legal strategy; it is an attempt to avoid accountability, silence vulnerable workers, and protect corporate interests over human dignity. Without attempting to remedy any harms that occurred on these vessels and improving that workplace for current and future workers, this is akin to the practice of ‘cut and run’, which experts agree is irresponsible and leaves workers in an even more vulnerable situation. “In response to consumer demand, Bumble Bee has allowed customers to trace each can of tuna they buy back to the boat that caught it.  But in its Motion to Dismiss, it attempted to distance itself from these same suppliers. Bumble Bee cannot have it both ways. The TVPRA and trade law make clear that corporate responsibility doesn’t stop at the U.S. border. Companies that cannot take responsibility for the products they sell have no business profiting from them. “A just and sustainable seafood industry must prioritize the well-being of all its stakeholders — from the migrant fishers working under dangerous conditions to the American consumers who have made it clear: they do not want seafood tainted by modern slavery or environmental destruction.” A letter expressing solidarity with these individuals was released today by 45 organizations from eight countries. The signers, which include the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), Friends of the Earth, and Freedom United, condemn human trafficking, while expressing support for the right of all individuals to seek justice and demand accountability. They also highlight the essential and inseparable relationship between healthy oceans and decent work. Greenpeace USA continues to call for decisive action from every actor in the seafood supply chain to help end isolation at sea. This includes mandating: Free, accessible, and secure wifi on all fishing vessels to allow fishers to have contact with their families, unions, and governments; Capping time at sea at three months to reduce the risk of human rights abuse, forced labor, and human trafficking; and  100% human or electronic observer coverage to ensure vital data on catch composition, bycatch, interactions with protected species, and overall fishing practices are reported by independent and impartial parties. In addition, unionization and the right of association are essential to empowering workers across all parts of the seafood supply chain. Accessible, secure, and responsive grievance mechanisms — available both on land and at sea — must become a standard in the industrial fishing industry. These tools are critical not just for addressing abuses when they occur but also for preventing them in the first place. At least 128,000 fishers worldwide are victims of forced labor, which is strongly connected to other fisheries-related crimes, such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. These activities significantly contribute to the worsening of the ocean and climate crises. Images and videos are available here. Contact: Tanya Brooks, Senior Communications Specialist at Greenpeace USA, tbrooks@greenpeace.org   Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa. The post Indonesian fishers respond to Bumble Bee’s attempt to dismiss forced labor suit appeared first on Greenpeace.

Greenpeace International activists peacefully confronted UK Royal Research Ship James Cook in the East Pacific waters as it returned from a seven-week long expedition to a section of the Pacific Ocean targeted for deep sea mining. An activist scaled the side of the moving vessel to unfurl a banner reading “Say No to Deep Sea Mining”, while two Māori Indigenous activists swam in front of the RRS James Cook, one holding the Māori flag and the other a flag reading “Don’t Mine the Moana” (don’t mine in the oceans). © Martin Katz / Greenpeace WASHINGTON, DC (August 7, 2025) — In response to the announcement that the United States has begun discussions with the government of the Cook Islands to support research into seabed exploration and “responsible development” within the Cook Islands’ exclusive economic zone, Arlo Hemphill, Greenpeace USA’s project lead for the Stop Deep Sea Mining campaign, said: “This announcement signals yet another backdoor attempt by the U.S. to legitimize deep-sea mining — this time under the guise of ‘science’ and ‘responsibility.’ History shows that exploration usually leads to exploitation, and once a new frontier is opened to resource exploitation, that door rarely swings shut again.”  The announcement is the latest in a growing trend by the Trump Administration to open the deep seabed up to commercial mining. In April 2025, the Trump administration issued an executive order to greenlight deep-sea mining in international waters, signaling a possible intent to bypass international safeguards. Just days later, the world’s first commercial mining application was filed. A new Greenpeace USA report – Deep Deception – outlines how much of this push may have come as a result of deep sea mining corporations investing significant lobbying toward congressional defense hawks, as the industry largely abandons their greenwashing narrative of “climate heroism” for one of U.S. national security and defense.  The U.S. faces a long process to establish its legal framework, and the timeline for commercial production remains uncertain – subject to indefinite delays due to technical, financial, and regulatory hurdles. It has also encountered global public backlash from several states, civil society groups, and Indigenous Pacific communities on its plans to mine in either U.S. domestic waters or on the international seabed under U.S. unilateral authority. However, sidestepping all of that in favor of working with a nation ready to launch the industry, offers the Trump Administration an even faster track towards exploiting the deep sea bed for greed, not need.  “The world is not ready to open the ‘Pandora’s Box’ known as deep sea mining. The science isn’t nearly sufficient. We would risk tinkering with planetary systems we still know almost nothing about,” added Hemphill. “The safest and most credible path forward is a global pause — one that prioritizes science, safeguards fragile ecosystems, and protects the ocean as the common heritage of all humankind. If the U.S. is serious about ocean protection, it must stop making piecemeal deals and instead support a global moratorium.” Alanna Smith, director of the Cook Islands–based NGO Te Ipukarea Society, said: “The Cook Islands Government has already issued three five-year exploration licenses to two U.S. mining companies (Moana Minerals and CIC) and to one Belgian company (CSR), which is in a joint venture with the Cook Islands Government. Achieving “Responsible Development” would mean ensuring independent deep sea research was being conducted in our waters, not issuing another exploration license. “Pacific communities are on the front lines of deep-sea mining’s risks. This industry threatens fragile biodiversity, vital fisheries, and the cultural and economic lifeblood of nations like the Cook Islands. Our future should not be put in jeopardy for short-term corporate promises that may never be fulfilled.” Contact: Tanya Brooks, Senior Communications Specialist at Greenpeace USA, tbrooks@greenpeace.org   Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa. The post Greenpeace USA Condemns U.S.–Cook Islands Deep-Sea Mining Talks as Backdoor Push for Extraction appeared first on Greenpeace.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 27, 2025)—In response to the Trump administration’s opening of an official rulemaking process to revoke Roadless Rule protections for more than 44 million acres of national forest land, Amy Moas, Ph.D., Greenpeace USA Senior Climate Campaigner, said: “We have seen this sad show before. During his first term, in January 2020, Trump attempted to do the same thing. Then the U.S. Forest Service received a quarter of a million public comments in response to the draft proposal — 96% of which voiced support for safeguarding the Roadless Rule. This move, made clearly in opposition to public opinion, highlights how this administration has little regard for what people in this nation both need and want. “This popular conservation measure established in 2001 protects some of the last and largest remaining tracts of our nation’s forests, as well as the wildlife and carbon it holds, from new and catastrophic clearcut logging. Thriving forests, such as the Tongass in Alaska, are crucial for the health of our planet, local economies, and countless wildlife species.” In October 2020, the Trump administration removed roadless protections, in opposition to the public comments received by the US Forest Service. The move put millions of acres of previously protected old growth forest, in places like Alaska’s Tongass, in jeopardy. The Biden administration reinstated the measure in full in January 2023.  Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa. The post Here we go again – Trump administration begins process to repeal the Roadless Rule appeared first on Greenpeace.

People gather outside the New Amsterdam Courthouse holding a banner reading “Energy Transfer, Welcome To The EU Where Free Speech Is Still A Thing” to mark the beginning of Greenpeace International’s anti-SLAPP lawsuit against fossil fuel pipeline company Energy Transfer filed in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. © Tengbeh Kamara / Greenpeace MANDAN, N.D. (September 10, 2025) – In response to North Dakota District Court Judge James Gion rejecting Energy Transfer’s request for an anti-suit injunction in Greenpeace International’s landmark anti-intimidation lawsuit, Greenpeace USA Interim Executive Director, Sushma Raman, said:  “From the beginning, we have said the truth is on our side. Energy Transfer must understand their attempts to abuse our legal system and bully their way to a win will never supersede the law. I applaud our allies at Greenpeace International for taking full advantage of the new anti-SLAPP directive in the European Union to make them whole after this gross abuse of the law and drain on financial resources. It’s the exact reason Greenpeace USA continues to push for similar anti-SLAPP protections at the federal level in the United States. Until then, we remain committed to exposing the lawsuit in North Dakota for what it really is: an act of corporate intimidation trying to silence Indigenous voices and their allies.”  You can read more from Greenpeace International and find all of the available legal filings here. CONTACT: Madison Carter, Greenpeace USA National Press Secretary, madison.carter@greenpeace.org For more than 50 years, Greenpeace USA has responsibly practiced non-violent direct action (NVDA) to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions essential to a green, just, and joyful future for people and the planet. In 2017, Energy Transfer, the company behind the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), sued Greenpeace entities (Greenpeace Inc. & Greenpeace Fund based in the U.S., and Greenpeace International) for $300 million in federal court, alleging that the entities violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) — a federal statute originally designed to eliminate mob activity. Specifically, Energy Transfer falsely accused the entities of organizing the historic #NoDAPL resistance at Standing Rock — a racist claim that attempts to undermine tribal sovereignty. This case has been widely recognized as a Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP), a tactic used by corporations to silence constitutionally protected free speech and advocacy in the United States. In 2019, a federal judge dismissed the federal claims, prompting Energy Transfer to refile a nearly identical case in North Dakota state court — one of only 17 states with no anti-SLAPPprotections. The lawsuit went to a trial in February 2025 before a jury of North Dakotans, resulting in a profoundly unjust verdict that awarded Energy Transfer over $660 million in compensatory and punitive damages. Currently, the Greenpeace entities are still awaiting a final decision from the judge on post trial motions and entry of judgment.  Greenpeace USA will continue fighting back against this case, including by appealing to the North Dakota Supreme Court.  For more information, visit: https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/energy-transfer-lawsuit/ The post North Dakota court will not block Greenpeace International from using European anti-SLAPP laws against Energy Transfer appeared first on Greenpeace.

Greenpeace US Democracy Director Folabi Olagbaj addresses rally. © Tim Aubry / Greenpeace WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 19, 2025) –  In response to a Louisiana immigration Judge ordering the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil – a legal permanent resident and nonviolent protester – to Syria or Algeria in what appears to be retribution for his pro-Palestinian advocacy, Greenpeace USA Democracy Campaign Director, Folabi Olagbaju said: “Targeting activists for deportation is not a rule of law, it’s a rule of fear. This sets a dangerous precedent: using immigration enforcement to penalize political dissent and silence protest.“What’s happening right now is bigger than one activist. If the government can target Khalil for his advocacy, none of us are safe when we speak truth to power. “Greenpeace USA rejects the weaponization of deportation proceedings to suppress free speech. For decades, our movement has shown up in solidarity and peaceful protest against injustice. Free speech and nonviolent direct action have shaped this nation’s conscience, from the Boston Tea Party to Selma to Standing Rock, and our rights must not be undermined now!  “Throughout our 50 year existence, Greenpeace USA has been no stranger to threats and attempts to silence our activism and solidarity with Indigenous voices through the U.S. legal system. So we can speak with certainty about the power of strength in numbers and refusing to capitulate to cowardly devices. They can’t silence a movement.  “Mahmoud Khalil, Jimmy Kimmel, and all others at risk for speaking truth to power – we are with you.” Khalil’s lawyers have 30 days from the September 12 decision to appeal the Board of Immigration Appeals. They’ve formally asked the U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz—who oversees his civil rights case in the District of New Jersey—to intercede. Join us in encouraging Judge Farbiarz to intercede and prevent Khalil’s imminent deportation.  Greenpeace USA Press Desk: mediausa@greenpeace.org Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa. The post We must all challenge the unprecedented ruling in Mahmoud Khalil immigration case appeared first on Greenpeace.