Migrant children as young as TWELVE are being hired at plant that supplies parts to Hyundai’s assembly line in Alabama: Guatemalan father of three children aged 12, 14, and 15 admits they worked there instead of going to school

  • As many as 50 migrant children as young as 12 have been used as child labor at an Alabama plant that sells parts to Hyundai’s assembly line
  • The claims have been made by Montgomery police, the Guagemalan family of three of the underage workers, and eight former and current employees 
  • SMAR supplies parts for some of the most popular cars and SUVs built by the Hyundai in Montgomery 

As many as 50 migrant children as young as 12 have been used as child labor at an Alabama plant that sells parts to Hyundai’s assembly line.

The claims have been made by Montgomery police, the Guatemalan family of three of the underage workers, and eight former and current employees at the factory for the Korean carmaker, according to Reuters.

Underage workers, in some cases as young as 12, have recently worked at a metal stamping plant operated by SMART Alabama LLC, these people said.

SMART, listed by Hyundai in corporate filings as a majority-owned unit, supplies parts for some of the most popular cars and SUVs built by the automaker in Montgomery, its flagship U.S. assembly plant.

Hyundai didn’t respond to phone calls or emails from Reuters seeking comment.

Reuters learned of underage workers at the Hyundai-owned supplier following the brief disappearance in February of a Guatemalan migrant child from her family’s home in Alabama.

The girl, who turns 14 this month, and her two brothers, aged 12 and 15, all worked at the plant earlier this year and weren’t going to school, according to people familiar with their employment. Their father, Pedro Tzi, confirmed these people’s account in an interview with Reuters.

Police in the Tzi family’s adopted hometown of Enterprise also told Reuters that the girl and her siblings had worked at SMART. The police, who helped locate the missing girl, at the time of their search identified her by name in a public alert.

The girl has not been identified because she is a minor.


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