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While many immigrants are unaware of the fact that they are protected by federal labor laws regardless of their legal status, a non-profit group called the Workers' Dignity Project in Nashville, Tennessee, is attempting to help such workers, the Tennessean reports.

According to the news provider, the group was started with the goal of educating these people on their workplace rights and instilling in them the power to collect their unpaid wages by contacting employers or through demonstrations or even legal means.

In a review of the complaints filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, the news source points out that there are a number of allegations made by immigrants including claims of exploitation and failure of employers to properly compensate them.

"Employers bring (immigration status) up to intimidate people and make them afraid to come forward," Chuck Yezbak, a Nashville attorney representing immigrant workers in Middle Tennessee alleging theft of wages, told the news source.

Foreign nationals have an opportunity to avoid such legal confrontations by utilizing the federal EB-5 visa program. Through this program, foreigners can obtain U.S. green card eligibility by investing $1 million (or $500,000 in some areas) in an American company or project that either creates or maintains at least 10 full-time jobs.