Modern-Day Slavery in America: The Hidden Exploitation Fueling U.S. Industries
Trump and his acolytes want us to hate incarcerated people and migrant workers while rolling back worker protections. The reality: we need to be fighting for protections and dignity for us all.
If you are a person in the United States who references ideals like freedom or equality, you might be sorely mistaken about what’s actually happening in this country. For many of us who are politically engaged, this is nothing new, but I want to break down the stories concerning prison labor, current slavery within the United States, and the reality for people who may not be familiar with the loopholes in the 13th Amendment and the brazen abuse of migrant workers.
To start, let’s look at an article from the Associated Press (AP) that came out In December 2024. It highlights prison labor in Alabama, a state with a long, profit-driven history of contracting prisoners out to private companies. “Alabama’s labor system dates back over 150 years, including the brutal convict leasing era that replaced slavery. Today, it has constructed a template for the commercialization of mass incarceration. Companies like Best Western, Bama Budweiser, and Burger King are among the more than 500 businesses that have leased incarcerated workers from one of the most violent, overcrowded, and unruly prison systems in the U.S. Over the past five years alone, the AP found that this system has generated more than $250 million for the state since 2000, with money garnished from prisoners’ paychecks.”
The jobs forced upon these prisoners are a stark reminder of the hypocrisy of a nation that prides itself on freedom and equality. From mopping floors and doing laundry inside prison facilities to laboring outside prison walls for private corporations and government agencies, incarcerated individuals are thrust into a system that mirrors the very oppression the U.S. claims to oppose. Over the past five years alone, more than 10,000 inmates in Alabama have collectively worked 17 million hours outside prison walls, manufacturing car parts, processing meat, and stocking distribution centers for major retailers like Walmart. While those assigned to private companies might earn a pittance, refusing to work comes with severe consequences—denied family visits, transfers to perilously overcrowded high-security prisons, and even jeopardized chances for early parole. In a state where only 8% of eligible prisoners were granted parole last year—an all-time low—the message is clear: compliance is not optional. This is not freedom; it is coercion dressed in the language of rehabilitation. For a country that loudly proclaims itself the "land of the free," the reliance on what amounts to modern-day slave labor exposes a glaring contradiction at the heart of its ideals and should make the overly patriotic or nationalistic politician or anyone with any public influence embarrassed at the façade they promote to the masses.
This is not isolated to Alabama. While Alabama is the most brazen, similar systems exist across the country, from California to Georgia. The 13th Amendment’s loophole, which allows involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime, has been exploited to create a modern-day slavery system. But it’s not just prison labor—there’s also the rampant exploitation of migrant workers, particularly in the South.
A 2021 federal indictment in Georgia laid bare the dark underbelly of America’s labor system, exposing a years-long human trafficking operation that trapped over 100 migrant workers in modern-day slavery. These victims, many smuggled from Mexico and Central America with promises of opportunity, were instead forced to toil on South Georgia farms under brutal conditions, earning as little as 20 cents per bucket of harvested onions. At least two workers died on the job, while others endured sexual violence and lived in squalid conditions—cramped trailers with raw sewage leaks and no access to clean drinking water.
Dubbed “Operation Blooming Onion,” the case led to charges against 24 individuals, including labor contractors and recruiters. This is not an isolated incident but a glaring example of how the U.S., a nation that champions itself as the "land of the free," systematically exploits migrant labor to sustain its industries. While politicians and corporations tout American values of liberty and justice, the reality for countless migrant workers is one of exploitation, abuse, and dehumanization. The hypocrisy is undeniable: a country built on the rhetoric of freedom continues to profit from the very systems of oppression it claims to oppose.
But the exploitation doesn’t stop there. In the meatpacking industry, a 2021 New York Times investigation revealed that migrant children, some as young as 13, were working in dangerous conditions in plants across the U.S. These children, often undocumented, were forced to work long hours in hazardous environments, with little pay and no protections. Major meatpacking companies were implicated in perpetuating this exploitation.
The garment industry is another hotspot for modern slavery. A 2019 Los Angeles Times investigation found that workers in Los Angeles’ garment industry, many of whom are undocumented immigrants, were paid as little as $1.58 an hour. These workers were forced to work in unsafe conditions, with no overtime pay or benefits. The garments they produced were sold by major brands like Forever 21 and Ross.
The hospitality industry is also rife with exploitation. According to a 2020 report by the Polaris Project, hotels and motels are frequently used as hubs for labor and sex trafficking. Traffickers exploit vulnerable populations, including undocumented migrants and runaway youth, forcing them into exploitative labor or commercial sex work. Major hotel chains have been criticized for failing to address these issues.
Even the construction industry is not immune. A 2020 Washington Post investigation revealed how migrant workers in the construction industry were subjected to forced labor, with their passports confiscated and wages withheld. The report highlighted cases in states like Texas and Florida, where workers were forced to live in squalid conditions and work long hours without pay.
The prevalence of modern slavery in the U.S. is staggering. According to the 2023 Global Slavery Index by Walk Free, an estimated 1.1 million people were living in modern slavery in the U.S. on any given day in 2021. This figure represents the highest total number of people in modern slavery in the Americas, with a prevalence rate of 3.3 per 1,000 people. While the U.S. has one of the lower prevalence rates globally, the sheer number of victims highlights the scale of the crisis.
The exploitation of incarcerated individuals, migrant workers, and vulnerable populations in industries like agriculture, hospitality, and manufacturing is not isolated to a few states or industries. It is a systemic issue that spans the country, from California to Georgia, and involves some of the most recognizable brands and businesses. The blood and labor of these workers are embedded in everyday products and services, from fast food to groceries. While it is imperative to note that all of these issues have occurred across multiple presidential administrations, Houses of Congress, and across both political parties, it is impossible have all of this information at our fingertips and not see the writing on the wall for the new Trump administration, which has made it’s goals of stripping workers’ rights while attacking immigrant and marginalized communities; all of which are negatively impacted by the reality of modern day slavery and rampant worker exploitation.
The Trump administration’s second term has waged a full-frontal assault on workers, immigrants, and human dignity—a grotesque betrayal of the working class that exposed the rot at the core of American capitalism. While the U.S. prattles on about being the “leader of the free world” Trump’s policies are gutting worker protections, terrorizing immigrant communities, and enabled the rampant exploitation that fuels this country’s economy. This isn’t just hypocrisy; it’s class warfare.
Trump’s war on workers has been relentless. He voided the collective bargaining agreement for 45,000 TSA screeners, stripping them of union protections under the flimsy pretext of “productivity.” The real goal? Crush worker solidarity and silence dissent. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) has called it out as retaliation, but the damage is done.
Then came the mass firings of probationary federal workers—24,000 jobs destroyed under the guise of “performance issues.” A federal judge saw through the lie, but the message is clear: no worker is safe under Trump. Even the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) hasn’t spared, as Trump tried to fire Susan Tsui Grundmann, a Democratic member, in a blatant power grab. A judge blocked it, but the assault on workers’ rights was unmistakable.
While Trump has been gutting worker protections, he has also been waging a vicious campaign against immigrants—the very people most vulnerable to exploitation. He invoked the archaic Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to fast-track deportations without due process, targeting migrants as “threats” while ignoring the real threat: his own policies. Immigration arrests skyrocketed, with a 221% spike in detentions of non-criminal immigrants. The U.S. detention centers (read, concentration camps) are overflowing, and Operation Safeguard unleashed ICE to terrorize urban communities.
Executive Order 14159, laughably titled “Protecting The American People Against Invasion,” heaps more and more coal into the flames. It expands expedited removal, defunds sanctuary cities, and denies public benefits to immigrants. This isn’t about safety; it is about cruelty and control. While all of this happens, Trump and his sycophants want Americans to believe that stripping their worker protections and eliminating essential, vital workers within the labor force will somehow benefit them in any way. And depressingly, many, it seems, swallow the line hook, line, and sinker as all major indicators show the public that there is not a single precedent that would reveal that to be the case.
Here’s the sickening truth: Trump’s policies don’t just ignore exploitation—they enable it. Across the country, undocumented workers are pushed into the shadows, where they’re exploited with impunity. Trump’s attacks on unions and immigrant rights will not simply hurt workers—they will continue to embolden corporations to exploit them further. This is capitalism at its worst: a system that thrives on the suffering of the many for the profit of the few.
The Trump administration’s legacy is one of cruelty, greed, and hypocrisy. But this isn’t just about Trump—it’s about the system that allowed him to thrive. We must fight for a world where workers’ rights are sacred, immigrants are welcomed, and exploitation is abolished. The fight for socialism is the fight for human dignity. And it’s a fight we can’t afford to lose.
As consumers, workers, neighbors, community members, and advocates, it is crucial to confront these realities and demand accountability from the systems and institutions that perpetuate modern-day slavery, and showcase to people that if they can do this to migrants and immigrants now, its just a matter of time before they turn their ketamine fueled chainsaw onto you. To quote from the good book, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” If only the evangelicals and Christians in the United States bothered to read their own fucking book.