Man that is so horrible. Not all places are like that. Unfortunately it tends to be smaller places that are more trustworthy. I suggest that at very least you may need a good immigration attorney.
I'd phrase it this way: at a smaller company, you are much more likely to be treated as a human, by a human, versus being treated as a unit by a system at a bigger company.
Family companies are the worst in my first- and second-hand experience. Blood runs thicker than water, and outsiders are often reminded of that fact come promotion/major decision time