Labor exploitation investigations focus on reducing illegal employment, holding employers accountable & protecting employment opportunities for the country's lawful workforce.
Millions of people, including children, are forced to work through deception, coercion, and abuse of legal processes all over the world.
Labor exploitation is a humanitarian issue and poses risks to our nation's safety and security. Many industries exploiting workers are part of our daily lives — such as food and agriculture, manufacturing, clothing production, health and beauty services, childcare and cleaning services.
Criminals exploit people for profit while committing worksite violations and other crimes, such as fraud and money laundering. They often change their methods and tactics to evade justice, like changing workers’ schedules so they work overnight or off-hours shifts when inspections are less likely to occur. Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, officials conducted many worksite inspections remotely — and that allowed employers to hide labor law violations from federal law enforcement agencies.
Technology has expanded criminals’ reach, capacity and efficiency, helping them target and coerce workers. Criminals also sell their victims’ services and products online, using technology to create fake, high-quality documentation to reduce their chances of getting caught.
The consequences of labor exploitation include:
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