Investigation: Migrant Children Routinely Employed in Violation of U.S. Labor Laws

Across the U.S., migrant children are employed in violation of child labor laws, in under-the-table operations and in global corporations alike, according to a new New York Times investigation. They work in dangerous conditions in construction, in factories and in slaughterhouses. They work long hours in kitchens, hotels and farm fields. They fall asleep in high school after working night shifts; some drop out of school altogether. Reporter Hannah Dreier spoke with more than 100 migrant child workers in 20 states as well as the companies employing them and the government agencies meant to protect them. She joins to talk about how this “new economy of exploitation” exploded over the past two years and how the Biden Administration has responded to her reporting.