California church leaders "used homeless people as forced labor"

The leaders of a California-based church have been accused of jailing homeless people, forcing them to beg all day and take money.

Dozens of victims were confiscated their papers, their social benefits were stolen and they were punished if they spoke of "things of the world," officials said.

Imperial Valley Ministries (IVM) manages approximately 30 church groups affiliated with the United States and Mexico.

A dozen leaders of the group were arrested on Tuesday.

Former Imperial Valley Ministries pastor Victor Gonzalez was arrested in San Diego.

Eleven others took place in El Centro, California and Brownsville, Texas.

The defendants face charges of conspiracy, forced labor, document servitude and fraud.

The church, which represents its pastors as "drug addiction missionaries," seduced the victims by promising food, shelter and "no-cost" opportunities, federal officials said.

"The indictment alleges an appalling abuse of power by church officials having taken advantage of the promises of a hot bed and hot meals for vulnerable homeless people" , said US Attorney Robert Brewer, at a press conference after the arrests.

"These victims have been held captive, deprived of their modest financial means, their identity, their freedom and their dignity."

A statement from the prosecutor added that "windows were nailed in some homes, pushing a desperate 17-year-old victim to break a window, escape and run to a nearby property to call the police".

The victims were reportedly locked up in group homes and forced to beg for nine hours a day, six days a week.

According to the prosecutors, the victims were told "the only thing to read is the Holy Bible" and "if one of the rules is broken, there will be discipline".

The punishments included the detention of food and, if they asked to leave, they were told that their children would be taken away, this would be alleged.

Church leaders have refused to allow a diabetic sufferer with hypoglycemia to obtain drugs, officials said. She was able to escape.

They were also banned from using the phone and were asked to avoid their family because "only God loved them now," officials said.

If they managed to leave, church leaders continued to withhold their money, as well as important documents such as immigration documents and food delivery cards.

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All the victims have been identified and are now free, officials said.

Assistance services were made available to them.

The case highlights the chronic problem of homelessness in California.

President Donald Trump is said to have ordered White House officials to launch an initiative to address the problem, even though California leaders remain skeptical.

Earlier this week, White House officials visited neighborhoods in Los Angeles and blamed "liberal politics" for the city's high numbers of destitute people.