Dear Attorney General Shurtleff,
According to a recent report by CNN's Gary Tuchman, the FLDS is removing minor children from school to, in many cases, travel across state lines, for the purpose of laboring long hours on a pecan farm, harvesting nuts. Also according to this report, the children are performing these agricultural job functions for no pay. While federal child labor laws do allow minor children to perform this type of work during non school hours on family owned farms, they specifically prohibit children under 14 from such activities during school hours on non family owned farms.
It appears from information brought to light in this report that the owner of this farm has been buying this child labor from the FLDS for years. It also appears that the owner of the farm is fully aware that children as young as 4-5 years old are being used for this labor, while unpaid. It was also obvious during the report that many of these minor children were being transported unsecured en masse in the backs of pick up trucks, with very little adult supervision or regard for their safety. Witnesses on the surrounding properties also said the children were frequently seen toiling at this labor in frigid conditions, close to nightfall.
I respectfully request that your office respond to these developments and take steps to stop this illegal use of child labor and possibly dangerous human trafficking of children across state lines in unsafe conditions.
If Warren Jeffs, who is serving a life sentence for the sexual assault of children here in Texas, has been giving orders to use this exploitive child labor for his personal financial benefit from his prison cell, it may be time to ask Texas authorities to review whether he is in violation of his communication privileges, again.
We respectfully ask for a written response, detailing what actions your office intends to pursue, now that these child labor violations have been brought to light.
Sincerely,
cc: Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott
