TUCSON, ARIZ. (KGUN) — More children could be in dangerous child labor situations if Federal cuts continue that until recently have paid for legal services for migrant children. That’s the concern we are hearing from immigration attorneys.
University of Arizona law professor Shefali Milczarek-Desai says unaccompanied migrant children are often forced into working when they are underaged, sometimes by the families that agreed to take them in.
She says cuts in legal aid for migrants leaves the children unaware of their rights or unable to protect themselves.
“There have been horrific stories of children who've been maimed, quite seriously, losing limbs or losing the use of limbs, or children who have been killed because they're working in industries like construction. They're working on roofs that what they shouldn't be doing that type of work. But there are lots of employers across the United States that are permitting children to do that type of work.”
She says government agencies that enforce child labor laws are also being cut back, and legal aid charities are hard pressed to raise enough money to fill gaps left open by the loss of Federal funds.