Voto Latino Demands Urgent Federal Protection for Migrant Children

Following the publication of the New York Times’ investigative piece exposing migrant child labor in factories across the country, María Teresa Kumar, President and CEO of Voto Latino, issued the following statement:

“It’s deeply disturbing to see the egregious reports of immigrant children being stripped of their rights and their humanity by greedy corporations. Almost a century ago, child labor laws were enacted to protect children from this kind of exploitation and mistreatment, but we’re seeing immigrant children being targeted specifically because of their vulnerability and status in this country.

“In their response to these allegations, corporations are putting out a false narrative that they don’t know about the migrant child labor going on at their own plants and factories. That’s just not credible. Corporations are profiting from a system with a long history of exploiting vulnerable workers. The fact that children are being harmed is shocking, but it’s not surprising.

“These abuses have to stop, and that means requiring companies to change their contracting practices so they can’t claim that they don’t know who’s doing the hard, dangerous work in their factories. Those changes would allow the U.S. government to create penalties for bad actors that go beyond minor fines. We need strong federal action in order to protect children in this country, regardless of their citizenship status. We will not stand by as corporations exploit our children.”

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Voto Latino is a grassroots political organization focused on educating and empowering a new generation of Latinx voters, as well as creating a more robust and inclusive democracy. Through innovative digital campaigns, culturally relevant programs and authentic voices, we shepherd the Latinx community towards the full realization of its political power.