Apolinario Simon Mendez, a 22-year-old migrant farmworker from Guatemala, died in a housing camp in Ottawa County after consuming an extremely high amount of alcohol.

The story behind Mendez’s tragic death is one of five “must-read” stories from MLive over the weekend.

A 22-year-old came to Michigan to pick blueberries. Weeks later, he was dead

Mendez had only been in Michigan for a month to work seasonal jobs picking blueberries, and his death was ruled accidental by police.

The conditions of the migrant housing he lived in, known as “Hotel California #2,” were found to be overcrowded and unsanitary after police reported the situation following Mendez’s death.

Experts express that migrant farmworkers like Mendez often deal with social isolation, long working hours, and limited acce

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