Biden Labor Dept. Probed for Exploiting Child Migrants

The Department of Labor Investigated⁢ for Child Labor Violations

The independent watchdog of the Department of ⁢Labor is currently investigating the agency’s role ‌in a disturbing wave of child labor violations affecting migrants across the country.

The department’s​ Office of Inspector General recently announced its plans to audit the department’s efforts to address child labor law violations and determine the reasons behind the‍ increasing number of such violations.

This ‌scandal involves not only ⁣the Labor Department but also the Department ⁣of ⁢Health and Human Services and the White House.

The New York Times initially broke the story in April,‍ revealing documents that proved the administration’s ​rapid release of ⁢unaccompanied migrant children into the country. Unfortunately, many of these children ‌ended up working in​ grueling jobs under​ hazardous conditions, often involving chemicals and industrial equipment.

The seriousness of the issue is highlighted by the rising cases ​of illegal child labor. According to Bloomberg, the DOL’s wage division has concluded 765 cases involving 4,474 children employed in ⁤violation ‍of federal child labor laws ⁤in⁤ the past 10 months alone. Overall, there has been a 69% increase in ⁤child labor violations between‍ 2018 and 2022.

In June, Senator Josh Hawley criticized the Biden​ administration for​ its failure to address this widespread crisis, stating that “tens of thousands of children have been sold‌ into slavery” under their watch.

Former⁤ HHS employees have also come forward, claiming that they were pushed out of the agency after raising concerns about the safety of ⁢these children.

The involvement of former domestic policy adviser⁣ Susan Rice has also been implicated in the New York Times report. Rice and her team allegedly failed to take action despite calls from administration staff ‌to implement stricter vetting of sponsors to ⁣prevent human trafficking. Rice eventually stepped down a week after the report was published.

Further reports have revealed that children were placed in​ the homes of unscreened adults, some of whom may have been ​registered sex offenders or had a history of child neglect.

The New York Times reported that ⁤although the two departments did inform the White House ⁣about the problem, the notices⁣ were not marked as urgent and ​did not adequately⁢ convey the severity⁣ of the crisis.