The Dual Burden: The Impact of Labor on Immigrant Children’s Educational Attainment and Wellness in the United States
 
Gisselle Gonzalez, Kate Sheppard (August 2025)
 
Abstract
 
In 2023, investigative reporting by the Times revealed that migrant child labor played a significant role in the making of American household goods and services. Several of the interviewed children described their work as an obstacle to schooling. These harrowing stories drove some American policymakers to strengthen the enforcement of existing child labor laws and impose harsher penalties on violators. But how adequate are these measures really? This paper examines the kinds of work immigrant children do, both inside and outside the family, and to what extent this work interferes with their schooling. It does this through a review of the literature on the intersection of immigration, educational attainment, and child labor, and concludes with several evidence-based recommendations for a variety of stakeholders, including teachers, school personnel, and state and federal policymakers.