September 18, 2023 — Most of the teens said they were hired through staffing agencies that supply workers to seafood processors. Some didn’t know the names of the companies where they worked or the agencies that hired them. Nearly every teen said they applied for their jobs with fake IDs that showed they were over 18.
All of the teens said they had to work to pay debts to smugglers, send money home to their families, or support themselves. None could afford the months-long wait for a permit that would allow them to work in the U.S. legally. The teens said they felt working at seafood processing plants was the only way they could earn money.
As unprecedented numbers of children have crossed the border in recent years, the federal government opened new emergency intake sites, which have come under scrutiny for exposing children to physical and emotional harm.
In February, The New York Times revealed that, under pressure from the Biden administration to release children from shelters quickly, ORR ignored or missed warnings and sent migrant teens to live with adults who expected them to work.
Nathanael and Joel said that Workforce Unlimited charged them $12 a day for the van ride to and from work. On paydays, they said, the van took all the workers to a check cashing store in Providence. There, the driver brought their checks inside and then returned with cash for each worker — minus deductions for the ride and the cost of cashing the check.