Naples Daily News' Maria Perez wins prestigious Polk Award for immigration reporting

When state investigators raided a Southwest Florida farm in 2014, Naples Daily News reporter Maria Perez began investigating how high-risk industries hire undocumented workers but avoid paying workers' compensation when they are injured on the job.

For her work published last year, Perez was named Tuesday as one of the winners of the George Polk Awards in Journalism, one of 17 journalists across the country honored with the national award. 

Perez shared the Polk’s Immigration Reporting Award with Antonia Farzan and Joseph Flaherty, of Phoenix New Times. Their reporting revealed that Phoenix motels provided guest rosters to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents investigating undocumented immigrants.

More:Florida legislators discuss change in law that punishes injured immigrant workers

More:Undocumented immigrant workers face prosecution in other states after suffering injuries

More:Florida's disposable workers: Companies profit from undocumented laborers, dump them after injuries

More:Undocumented immigrant workers face prosecution in other states after suffering injuries

Perez began reporting the "Disposable Workers" project in late 2016 with the O'Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism, backed by Marquette University and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She finished her reporting at the Naples Daily News, a member of the USA Today Network.

"Maria's investigation focused totally on helping workers who were being abused," USA Today Network Regional Executive Editor Manny Garcia said. "The Polk Award is one of the most respected and challenging prizes to garner in our profession, and it's wonderful to see a journalist who is as unselfish as Maria be recognized."

Her reporting revealed that employee leasing companies use a Florida law that allows them to skip payment of injury claims if workers are undocumented. The injuries often result in the workers being charged with a crime under the same law that makes it a crime for businesses to knowingly hire workers with fake identities. Only one business has been charged in 14 years, Perez's reporting found.

Florida lawmakers are now considering a change in the 2003 law to stop the practice of charging injured workers and to ensure they get care.

Among other Polk Award winners announced Tuesday are:

» Stephanie McCrummen and Beth Reinhard, of The Washington Post, for disclosing accounts of sexual assault on young girls by U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore.

» Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, of The New York Times, and Ronan Farrow, of The New Yorker, for exposing sexual predation by movie producer Harvey Weinstein.

» The New York Times and Washington Post staffs for uncovering connections between Trump campaign officials and Russians that led to a special prosecutor investigating.

» Ben Taub, of The New Yorker, for showing the humanitarian harm caused by the shrinkage of Lake Chad in Africa and its connection to famine and uprising.

» David Begnaud, of CBS News, for coverage of the destruction wrought by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the delayed relief effort.