Over 50 migrant children were allegedly found working at a Hyundai supplier in Alabama after police launched an investigation involving a 13-year-old girl who ran away with a 21-year-old former employee.
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The children, aged as young as 12, were reportedly “fired” from the SMART Alabama supplier factory in Luverne after the missing girl’s case developed more attention among local media. According to the Daily Mail, a former employee said the underage children worked various shifts while he was working there. A probe was launched after the family of Eidy Aracely Tzi Coc reported her missing and said she ran away with 21-year-old Alvaro Cucul.
Coc and her two brothers, aged 12 and 15, allegedly worked at the factory and didn’t go to school. Pedro Tzi contacted police after his daughter didn’t return home on February 3, and an Amber Alert was launched. Authorities also issued a manhunt for Cucul and located them at a parking lot in Athens, Georgia. The girl told officers that Cucul was a family friend, and they went on the trip to find more work.
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He was arrested and later deported for the kidnapping. After learning about the Amber Alert, SMART fired the underage employees due to fears of police finding out about the illegal labor scheme. SMART Alabama LLC supplied materials for Hyundai in the state’s capital and is listed as a majority-owned unit in corporate filings.
Tzi said his children would be back to school in the fall after months of working for the plant illegally. However, he says he regrets sending his children to work, but the family needed income at the time. Investigators said the children who worked at the plant dropped out of school to work long hours, and the facility has a history of health and safety violations, including amputation hazards. Authorities did not confirm how much the children were making at the factory and the terms regarding their employment. Many former employees, also migrants, said they worked with some underage kids during their time at the plant.
Former employee, Tabatha Moultry, worked at the plant’s assembly line and said the plant had a history of high turnover and relied on migrants to keep up with production demands. She noted there was an underage girl who worked in the factory with her mother, and Moultry said the children would work different shifts.
Hyundai saidin. statement that the company relies on temporary work agencies and Moultry was often subjected to answer questions about the media.