U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) visited Midland to address human trafficking on Feb. 22. 

Cornyn discussed his efforts to get the Senate to reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, as well as toured Reflection Ministries, NewsWest9 reported.

According to the station, if the measure is reauthorized, it would boost funding to stop human trafficking, improve government staff training, expand civil and privacy protections for trafficking survivors and renew programs devoted to trafficking prevention and survivor support.

"We need to raise people's level of discomfort to deal with the reality of human trafficking," Cornyn said. "There's a role for each of us to play, and as you've heard today, everything from the Department of Public Safety that's making traffic stops, to the crisis center that deals with domestic violence."

During his tour of Reflection Ministries, Cornyn learned how the nonprofit organization assists trafficking victims. 

Human trafficking is a problem in the petroleum-rich Permian Basin just as it is elsewhere in the world.

"This is pervasive, and even the best of communities, like those here in the Permian Basin, Midland, Odessa," Cornyn said, NewsWest9 reported. "Unfortunately, many times it’s associated with large sporting events and other events where people get together."

According to the station, the senator was pleased with Reflection Ministries' work.

"The good news is, the thing that is positive and optimistic and hopeful that comes out of this is organizations like this one, people like those standing behind me, people with big hearts and who are generously spending their time trying to help these victims of human trafficking," he said.

The mayors of the region's two largest cities, Midland's Patrick Payton and Odessa's Javier Joven, acknowledged that trafficking is rampant, especially when oil and gas employment is up, CBS7 reported.

They believe companies must check on their workers when they're not on the clock.