Immigrant child laborers are being killed in US factories. Companies are walking away with fines

Duvan Thomas Pérez , 16 , died while cleaning machinery at a Mississippi slaughterhouse last month .

The penalty for the Mar-Jac Poultry processing plant was just $212,646 in federal fines and 17 safety citations, despite the incident being one in a series.

Now experts are demanding stronger consequences for companies that violate safety procedures and use child labor.

The death highlights how immigrant minors may be more vulnerable to dangerous working conditions.

Some states do not have a state labor department that monitors violations, meaning many violations go unprosecuted.

Companies can avoid consequences by using subcontractors to staff plants, then saying they were unaware of illegal hiring.

For wealthier companies with sizable profits, fines are not a sufficient deterrent given substantial profits, experts say.