It sounds like something from the last century. Tens of thousands of children across all 50 states work full time in the United States, often working night shifts and dangerous jobs. Adults in the community are turning a blind eye, including executives at major corporations such as Perdue Farms and Tyson Foods, where teenagers clean slaughterhouses. Government officials in state capitals and Washington are allowing that to happen.
Over the past year and a half, my colleague Hannah Dreyer has been reporting on an explosion in child labor among young immigrants who recently arrived in this country. Her latest article, about 15-year-old Marcos Cooks, who was injured last year at a Purdue chicken farm in rural Virginia, was just published in Times Magazine.
This story exposes the human cost of this country’s broken immigration system. Over the past 15 years, it has become easier to enter the United States without legal permission, especially for children. A 2008 law aimed at protecting children from harm on the Mexican side of the border generally allows children to enter the country without documents. Hannah writes: “In the 15 years since then, carve-outs have become widely known in Central America and are shaping the calculus for poor families.”
Similarly, a 2015 ruling by a federal judge made it easier for children to enter the country with their families, as explained in a recent New Yorker article by Dexter Filkins.
These policy changes are not the only reason adult immigration has also increased recently. The collapse of the Venezuelan economy due to the coronavirus pandemic and the rise in global poverty are also contributing factors, as is the perception in Latin America that the Biden administration is less vigilant about border security than the Trump and Obama administrations. There is.
open secret
Whatever the cause, immigrant children often arrive in countries that are unable or at least unwilling to protect them.
When unaccompanied children come to the United States, authorities match them with so-called sponsors, adults who care for them and ensure they attend school. However, sponsors often allow children to work full time, knowing that children whose parents work need money to send home. Children use false documents to get jobs, and employers accept them even when they are obviously false. Child labor is an open secret in many communities.
But this modern version of child labor carries the same terrible costs that led this country to ban child labor in the early 20th century. The children are exhausted. Many do not graduate from high school and do not learn the skills necessary to find decent paying jobs as adults. Some, like Marcos, sustain serious injuries while working with adults.
In response to Ms. Hanna’s reporting, companies like Purdue and Tyson have said they do not tolerate child labor, but their actions suggest otherwise. And while the Biden administration responded to her initial story by ramping up enforcement, it has so far only fined subcontractors that employ children, not branded companies.
I encourage you to find time this week to read Hannah’s story. Although her story is heartbreaking, there are reasons to be hopeful about Marcos’ future. This is also part of a larger problem. The United States has allowed millions of people into the country in recent years, but has neglected many of them.
for many
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Unlike other cities, Los Angeles does not face an immigration crisis. The high cost of living and lack of jobs deter many from coming to Japan.
the latest news
International
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It appears to have been a malfunction of a Ukrainian missile, rather than a Russian attack, that caused a deadly explosion at a market in eastern Ukraine this month, a Times investigation has found.
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In his address to the United Nations today, President Biden urges countries to continue providing support to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is also scheduled to address the rally.
politics
2024 Election
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Donald Trump will speak to striking autoworkers in Detroit next week instead of attending the second Republican presidential debate.
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Former hedge fund executive David McCormick, who lost last year’s Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary to Dr. Mehmet Oz, plans to run again.
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Virginia Democratic Rep. Jennifer Wexton will not seek re-election after being diagnosed with a rare and incurable neurological disease.
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opinion
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Click here for his column paul krugman About Mitt Romney.
morning reading
Plateau: Ozempic will not permanently reduce your weight. Here’s why:
skin care: Vitamin C is probably good for you, but it’s difficult to make it work the way you want it to.
Life lived: Margaret Chan is known as the first Chinese American woman to earn a medical degree. Chung died in 1959 when she was 69 years old. (Her obituary is part of the Times series “Overlooked,” which chronicles the lives of notable historical figures).
sports
NFL: The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cleveland Browns 26-22 despite scoring only one touchdown on offense.
Monday Night Football: The New Orleans Saints won 2-0, overwhelming the Carolina Panthers on the road with their stingy defense.
investigation: Michigan State University has informed football coach Mel Tucker that it intends to fire him following sexual harassment allegations.
Recurring themes: Tennis star Coco Gauff represents perhaps the biggest story in sports: the rise of female athletes.
art and ideas
Arts and sciences: Some of the great paintings of the 19th and 20th centuries are losing their luster. Many artists of the time, including Van Gogh, Munch, and Picasso, favored a paint known as cadmium yellow, but its bold, lemony hue faded and became chalky. A team of researchers studied samples of Joan Miró’s paintings from the 1970s and discovered that the paint was doomed to atomic defects.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/19/briefing/child-labor-migrants.html