From the article:

In May, following one of the most complex and politically sensitive investigations in its history, Brazil’s Public Labor Ministry accused Brazil BYD Auto and two of its Chinese labor contractors, China Jinjiang Construction Brazil and Tecmonta Intelligent Equipment Brazil, of “trafficking” manual laborers into the country and subjecting them to “conditions analogous to slavery” — defined in Brazilian law as forced labor, restricted freedom of movement and “degrading” conditions.

In a civil suit, authorities alleged BYD and its partners had preyed upon 220 vulnerable laborers — some of whom were illiterate — duping them with false promises of high pay. They were then pressed into punishing labor from which they could not escape. Many had their passports confiscated, prosecutors alleged, and much of their promised pay was withheld. At night, prosecutors alleged, they were locked inside fetid dormitories patrolled at times by armed guards.

The ministry sought $49 million in damages to compensate workers and fund improvements to labor conditions and social welfare.

[...]

The construction giant Jinjiang, which employed most of the workers who were freed by authorities, said on Weibo that the allegations were the result of “cultural differences,” “biased” questioning and “distortions” in translation. “The claims that Jinjiang’s workers were treated as ‘slaves’ and were ‘rescued’ are completely inconsistent with the facts,” the company said in a statement. The contractor Tecmonta has not commented publicly on the case.

In late December, the Labor Ministry signed a deal with the companies to work toward dismissing the suit. The defendants agreed to assume corrective actions and pay a combined $7.5 million — half to the laborers who allegedly suffered the abuses and the other half to funds of the ministry’s choosing. BYD, which would act as a guarantor of payments made by its labor contractors, federal prosecutors said, did not have to admit culpability as part of the agreement.

[...]

Wang and Li arrived in a country that has responded to its notorious history with slavery by enacting some of the developing world’s strongest labor protections. Brazil, which in 1888 became the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery, now funds aggressive antislavery law enforcement, publishes an annual “dirty list” to shame violators and has taken on multinational corporations. In 2003, it expanded the definition of slavery to include “degrading” conditions, enshrining the right to human dignity in the workplace.

So when 500 or so Chinese laborers began streaming into the abandoned Ford property throughout 2024, the few Brazilian workers present grew increasingly nervous, according to interviews with six Brazilian BYD and Jinjiang employees. Most spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fears of retaliation. Many of the details of their accounts were confirmed by photographs or videos reviewed by The Post.

None of the Brazilians had ever seen laborers work like the Chinese. They often arrived around 5 a.m. — “well before the traditional hours,” one BYD staffer said — crammed into small cars so tightly that some were relegated to the trunk. On the job, they took risks that Brazilian workers said they could scarcely believe, braving dangerous heights without safety equipment, or working perilously close to heavy machinery. “It’s like they’re not scared of danger,” one worker said. Some donned little protective gear and walked around barefoot.