Human Smuggling Crackdown
July 14, 2005 -- A new task force was developed to keep human smuggling on our border from turning into slave labor and sex slavery in other parts of the country.
The Salvation Army is leading the effort by developing task forces in Denver, Las Vegas, Anchorage and El Paso.
El Paso is considered the corridor for trafficking, the other cities are destinations.
"These individuals many times are forced into situations such as forced labor or even sexual exploitation to maybe to pay off a debt like their smuggling fee," said Leticia Zamarripa with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The El Paso police department is the lead agency in El Paso. It's being helped by federal agencies and some non-government groups.
It is still in its infancy stage, but officers are asking the community to report suspicious activity.
Task force to focus on sex slavery
In fact, the U.S. attorney in Colorado recently closed nine Korean spas, saying they were being used as covers for brothels and that the women were unwilling participants.
"I feel terrible for these poor souls," Borodkin said. "They're lost and they're trapped. They need help and we need to let people know this is occurring. We need to get a handle on the numbers."
Ann Terry, an official with the Colorado Department of Public Safety, said that will be difficult because busts in the sex slave industry tend to result in the women being arrested under anti-prostitution laws instead of being treated as victims of sexual slavery.
North Korean Refugees Frequent Victims of Human Trafficking
Connecticut to receive $448,983 to fight human trafficking
"This money will train our public safety officers to identify and root out those who recruit and coerce immigrants into prostitution or forced labor," Rell said. "Our primary goal is to rescue trafficking victims. We can do that by assuring that our law enforcement officials receive proper training."
State Sen. Andrea Stillman, D-Waterford, chairman of the Connecticut Interagency Task Force on Trafficking in Persons, said there is a meeting later this summer to coordinate the state's effort against human trafficking.
"These federal funds will provide a vital piece of the puzzle, helping public safety officials recognize and rescue trafficking victims," Stillman said.
Traffickers are known to use a variety of techniques to keep victims enslaved, including confiscating passports and visas, keeping them honor-bound to satisfy debts, isolating them from family, using or threatening violence and telling victims they'll be deported if they contact authorities.
Trafficking of human beings is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world. According to the U.S. State Department, nearly a million victims are trafficked across international borders and between 17,000 and 20,000 are brought into the U.S.
Open borders, doncha know.