Indeed, they seem to be a growing trend. Irvine begins by focusing on the harsh labor conditions of a tortilla factory on Chicago's South Side, then goes on to report the wider findings of the Center for Impact Research. As a result of this report and ensuing publicity, the U.S. Department of Labor announced its intention to work with ethnic community groups in order to uncover abusive employers. Often, the abuse is real. Sometimes, it is hideous.
Government is always the proposed solution, with disastrous results.
Few people seem to question one of the fundamental reasons that 19th century sweatshop conditions exist in 21st century America. Free market advocates correctly point out that low wages are appropriate to untrained, unskilled workers and that many of the sweatshop conditions are no more than what naturally occur in the lowest paid strata of employment. Employees who are not authorized by government to work have little or no protection against employers who break contracts and coerce their labor through threats. Usually they threaten to turn the employee or an undocumented family member into the INS for deportation. The IRCA required employers to complete an I-9 Form for 'new hires' in order to record the documents that established the worker's employment eligibility.