The grim reality of our broken immigration system.
In recent weeks, troubling reports have surfaced regarding the treatment of migrant children and families. These reports do not reflect our American values, but sadly show the grim reality of our broken immigration system.
An investigation by the New York Times found that over 100 unaccompanied migrant children, after being released to sponsors by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), were working at jobs in violation of child labor laws. Instead of attending school, children under 16 have been working long hours in often dangerous conditions to provide money for their sponsors and/or their families
back home. Despite it being a requirement of sponsors to send migrant children to school, it is not uncommon for migrant children to drop out completely to work in places such as factories, slaughterhouses, hotels, and construction sites.
The number of unaccompanied migrant children arriving in the U.S. has more than tripled in the last five years, reaching a record 130,000 in 2022. This has put additional pressure on caseworkers to speed through the sponsorship vetting process and move minors out of government shelters. The NYT report was released shortly after the United States Department of Labor (DOL) announced that it had found 102 children, including unaccompanied minors, cleaning slaughterhouses for one of the largest food sanitation companies in the U.S.
In response to these reports, the federal government is undertaking new efforts to address child labor violations and caring for unaccompanied migrant children. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is investigating how unaccompanied minors were hired and whether human trafficking and smuggling was involved. DOL is creating an interagency taskforce to combat child labor exploitation as well as a strategic enforcement initiative on child labor. HHS will now have
mandated follow up calls when an unaccompanied minor reports a safety issue and there will be expanded post release services for unaccompanied children.
With the upcoming end of Title 42 restrictions in May, officials are also discussing how to handle the expected increase in border crossings. Last month, the Biden administration announced a proposed rule that would drastically restrict asylum eligibility for migrants who attempt to cross the southern border without authorization. The rule targets migrants who travel to Mexico from another country to seek asylum in the U.S. If implemented, asylum seekers would have to follow DHS-approved parole process, use a phone app to schedule an appointment at a port of entry, or prove that they applied for and were denied asylum in another country before arriving at the border. Exceptions will be made, including for those in imminent danger as well as unaccompanied minors. The Biden administration is also reportedly considering reinstating the use of migrant family detention, despite criticizing the Trump administration for doing so and ending the policy two years ago. Family separation has been well-documented to cause trauma, disturbed development and neurological damage in children.
Migrant families currently face a lose-lose situation. Given these potential policy changes, desperate families may urge their children to make the journey to the U.S.-Mexico border alone, making them vulnerable to violence along the way and further exploitation upon arrival. It is a risk that no one should have to take – and one that the U.S. can prevent by focusing on efforts to make our immigration system more humane and efficient. Join us in urging
Congress to support commonsense immigration reforms.
Stay hopeful and committed,
Nora Coyne
Field and Constituencies Manager
National Immigration Forum
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