“The carefully documented, credible news reports that U.S. companies are exploiting and abusing migrant children is horrifying and absolutely unacceptable. Basic protections against child labor apply to migrant children too, and every employer that has exploited minors should face extreme penalties. That many of these children apparently did dangerous work during long, overnight hours makes these violations even more egregious. America’s moms expect the federal and state governments to hold employers accountable for these shocking, horrendous human rights abuses.

“In the United States, no company should ever profit by exploiting children and doing so is unforgivable. All children, regardless of where they come from, deserve to live in peace and free of danger. We look to the U.S. Department of Labor and state governments to step up enforcement of child labor laws. We look to community social service agencies to do much more to protect migrant children and support the families that want to protect them. And we look to the federal government to provide the legal representation these minors need and deserve.”

-Statement of Donna Norton, Executive Vice President, MomsRising

“We are also keenly aware that the conditions that enable this kind of exploitation stem from the demonization of immigrants, an immigration system that has been broken for much too long, the racism and xenophobia too many Republican politicians have stoked, the extreme poverty many immigrant families have been forced into, and a workforce shortage exacerbated by cutting the number of immigrants we welcome to our country. All that, too, must end.

“America’s moms want every immigrant to be treated with compassion, dignity and respect, and every child to be free from exploitation. We can and must do better as a caring nation.”

- Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising