BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Canadian human rights lawyers are asking Ottawa to block some U.S.-made vehicles and auto parts they say are tied to forced prison labor in Alabama, putting renewed scrutiny on the state’s prison work system and its role in the auto supply chain.
The complaint targets imports the lawyers say can be traced to Alabama factories and suppliers that use incarcerated workers, according to reporting by The Canadian Press and other Canadian outlets. The group says it used Alabama Department of Corrections records, supplier data and vehicle identification numbers to connect the parts to vehicles sold in Canada.
The dispute centers on Hyundai and Genesis vehicles and parts tied to Alabama production, not the state’s entire auto industry. But researchers and advocates say Alabama’s prison labor system is deeply embedded in state commerce, including work-release arrangements and other programs that pay incarcerated workers low wages and keep them dependent on prison officials.
The Canadian filing arrives amid broader criticism of Alabama’s prison system, where advocates have described forced labor as coercive and exploitative. A separate lawsuit and multiple advocacy reports have accused the state of using incarcerated labor under conditions that amount to modern-day slavery, while some suppliers in the automotive sector have already faced scrutiny over their use of prison labor.
Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama has said it requires suppliers to comply with the law and its code of conduct, and has said it is aware some suppliers participated in Alabama’s prison work-release program, according to prior reporting cited by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. The company’s position is central to the debate over whether the Canadian government should treat the vehicles as prohibited forced-labor goods.