Human trafficking remains a major concern in many large U.S. cities, with Houston ranking the worst nationally in case numbers.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, an estimated 50,000 people are trafficked into the county on an annual basis. These individuals often come from outside the U.S., Mexico in particular, and are acutely vulnerable given their lack of protection and connections in the country.
A 2016 report by The University of Texas at Austin’s Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault estimated that approximately 79,000 minors and youth are being victimized by sex trafficking within Texas. Additionally, roughly 234,000 workers are victims of labor trafficking and approximately 313,000 victims of human trafficking are in Texas.
The report also outlined National Human Trafficking Hotline data. It noted the Greater Houston area represents 41.6% of human trafficking tips, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth at 23.6% and Austin at 7.3%. Other cities who provide human trafficking tips include the Greater San Antonio at 6.5%, the Corpus Christi Metro Area at 2.6%, the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission area at 1.6%, and the El Paso Metro Area at 1%.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline breaks down tips into the categories of high risk, moderate risk and no risk based on indicators. Of the moderate and high-risk tips, 47.8% were classified as high and 52.2% were classified as moderate, the report states.
The report states that traffickers of labor trafficking exploit approximately $600 million from their victims.
According to the report, “The United States Department of State considers human trafficking a form of modern-day slavery and broadly defines it as when a person is deceived or coerced in situations of prostitution, forced labor, or domestic servitude.”
While human trafficking can be used to refer to sex or labor trafficking, domestically or internationally, trafficking always involves forcing individuals into situations which they have not chosen freely or been able to reject or escape from.
Trafficking is particularly challenging in Texas, where many immigrants arrive in search of work. These migrant workers are easy targets for traffickers, as the immigrants do not understand their rights and are often unable to or afraid of reporting mistreatment for fear that they may be deported.
Texas ranks second-worst in human trafficking rates; California ranks first for these types of crimes.
