New York Times journalist Hannah Dreier traveled to 20 states while doing an investigative report on child slavery aka forced labor of unaccompanied migrant children.
In her February series titled “Alone and Exploited, Migrant Children Work Brutal Jobs Across the U.S.” she got details of this tragic and growing problem.
The worldwide economic downturn brought on by the pandemic may have caused a jump in numbers. And now tens of thousands of children are crossing into the United States without parents. In 2022, 130,000 unaccompanied minors arrived at the border. This is three times what it was five years ago.
The children are coming primarily from Central America. These youth can be found all over the country, often working factory jobs for some of the United States’ most recognizable brands.
Unaccompanied migrant children
Across the U.S. brands like Ben and Jerry’s, Cheetos and Fruit of the Loom have children working in their factories.
According to the NYT, “ They run milking machines in Vermont and deliver meals in New York City. They harvest coffee and build lava rock walls around vacation homes in Hawaii. Girls as young as 13 wash hotel sheets in Virginia.”
