The factory's owner pins the blame on the cut-rate temp agency they use to hire workers at the 24/7 facility, saying they had no idea - and no way to verify - that so many of their night shift workers were under 18. They accuse the children of working using stolen/fraudulent identity documents, implying this temp agency failed in its due diligence to verify IDs before sending children to work in a lawnmower factory.
The Labor Department has prioritized child labor enforcement since last spring amid a 152% increase in children found to be illegally employed since 2018.