United States Commits to Combat Exploitation of Migrant Child Labor

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States government announced Monday that it will create a new task force to combat the rise in labor exploitation of migrant children in the country.

Hundreds of companies that hired nearly 4,000 children last year violated federal labor laws, a drastic increase over the past five years.

The issue drew criticism from Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who feared children were being released too quickly from shelters and out of federal custody, placing them in vulnerable situations where they are more likely to be harmed. be victims of labor exploitation.

In a new video that has circulated and was first reported by The New York Times, the secretary instructed his staff to release children from the federal government’s shelter system more quickly.

“If Henry Ford had seen this in his factories, he would never have become rich and famous,” Becerra told his team during a meeting last summer, according to the recording. “That’s not how you do an assembly line.”

The New York Times investigation identified more than 100 migrant children, some as young as 12, who said they worked night shifts and hazardous jobs for businesses of all sizes across the country.

President Joe Biden still has “full confidence” in Becerra, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday when asked about the official’s work after the report was released.

“Of course, the president doesn’t think the treatment of migrants should be treated like an assembly line, and neither does Secretary Becerra,” he said.

Becerra has long been seen as an advocate for migrants. He often talks about the experience of his parents, who emigrated from Mexico to the United States.

The administration has struggled to find a way to respond to the surge in arrivals of migrants, including unaccompanied children, at the country’s southern border since Biden took office. In the fiscal year that ended last September, there were 2.38 million immigration-related detentions, a 37% increase from the previous year. The total was more than double the highest level recorded under the Donald Trump administration, which was in 2019.

The Departments of Health and Human Services and Labor unveiled their new policies and task force on Monday, and they also pledged to more closely track children leaving shelters to live with sponsors around the country. . The agency will help migrant children enroll in school. From this point onwards, staff will also need to follow up on children who contact the Refugee Resettlement Office’s national hotline to report possible safety concerns.

The Department of Labor has also threatened to stop shipping products made with child labor.