A HelloFresh facility is under investigation by the United States Department of Labor after an ABC News report revealed allegations that migrant children were working at the facility in Aurora, Illinois, as recently as this summer.

At least six teenagers were found working night shifts at the facility, according to the report published by ABC, citing Cristobal Cavazos, executive director for advocacy group Immigrant Solidarity. The Department of Labor is also investigating a potential violation of federal child labor rules by Midway Staffing, which is said to have hired employees to work at the facility, the report said.

In a statement to USA TODAY, the Department of Labor said an investigation is ongoing for the facility in Illinois.

“We can confirm that there is an open investigation of a HelloFresh facility in Aurora, IL,” a spokesperson said.

When pressed about the reported allegations of child labor at the HelloFresh facility, a Department of Labor spokesperson declined to share further details about the investigation. USA TODAY has reached out to advocacy group Immigrant Solidarity for more information.

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HelloFresh says it has cut all ties to staffing agency

A spokesperson for HelloFresh told USA TODAY that they had cut all ties with the staffing agency.

“We were deeply troubled to learn of the allegations made against a former temporary staffing agency, Midway Staffing,” the statement said. “We have strict protocols in place to ensure all vendors follow our robust global ethics and compliance policies. We have zero tolerance for any form of child labor, and we have taken action to ensure no minors perform work in or have access to our facilities."

The company said the staffing agency provided services to a Factor75 foods facility which has been owned by HelloFresh since 2020.

Alleged child labor violations have been found across the country

A sanitation contractor was fined nearly $172,000 after federal authorities discovered that the company employed 11 children to do "dangerous work" at a pork processing facility in Iowa, USA TODAY reported earlier this month.

In the fiscal year 2024, the Department of Labor concluded 736 investigations uncovering child labor violations that affected 4,030 children and assessed employers more than $15.1 million in penalties for violating federal child labor laws, an 89 percent increase since 2023.

Back in February, the Department of Labor fined a Tennessee parts supplier for John Deere, Toro and Yamaha for illegally employing children as young as 14 in dangerous jobs.

Tuff Torq of Morristown in eastern Tennessee was ordered to pay a $296,951 penalty after the department's Wage and Hour Division confirmed the outdoor power equipment parts manufacturer "subjected 10 children to oppressive child labor," the Labor Department said in a statement.

Contributing: Mike Snider, Keenan Thomas, Kevin Baskins, Thao Nguyen

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.