(The Center Square) – From federal and multiagency actions to state initiatives and safe house networks, anti-human trafficking efforts are ongoing nationwide.
During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, when millions of people visited 11 U.S. cities, extensive anti-human trafficking efforts were launched by federal, state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations led anti-human trafficking operations nationwide. Combined federal, state and local law enforcement efforts resulted in the arrest of 905 suspects and rescue of 180 people, including 30 minors, DHS said.
A major sex trafficking bust was made in Dallas this week stemming from a 2023 HSI Dallas investigation. Eight people were indicted and six were arrested for their alleged role in a sex trafficking and money laundering conspiracy operating out of the Paris Adult Bookstore in Dallas. The eight charged “preyed on their victims and sex trafficked several women and juveniles for their own financial gain under threat of violence, fraud and coercion,” U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould said in a statement.
The adult bookstore operated as an illicit and covert brothel for more than 20 years, including operating “arcade rooms,” where extensive sex trafficking, including of minors, allegedly occurred, authorities allege. Investigators found that thousands of adults and minors were sold for commercial sex through the illicit business, and other crimes, including murder, occurred there, authorities allege. The perpetrator of a 2024 murder, a Muslim man,was convictedand sentenced to life in prison in one case.
The indictments represent “a major step forward in dismantling an organization that, according to the allegations, profited from the exploitation of vulnerable people for years,” HSI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard said in a statement. “Human traffickers view victims as commodities, and Homeland Security Investigations is committed to identifying those responsible, holding them accountable, and ensuring victims receive the support they need.”
Another HSI investigation in San Francisco, led to the recent rescue of two female minors who’d been sex trafficked. One had been reported missing in Bakersfield, California, last November who hadn’t been seen since she was rescued this month, DHS said.
On Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott attended the grand opening of Bob’s House of Hope in Justin, Texas. It’s the first safe house in the country for male sex trafficking survivors. It’s also the only residential facility to include Ranch Hands Rescue’s equine and animal assisted counseling intervention.
"Ranch Hands Rescue and Bob's House of Hope provide a beacon of hope for victims in need, creating a model of care that truly can be replicated across the entire country,” Abbott said in a statement. “Together, we will remove traffickers from our streets and provide every brave young survivor the hope they need to reclaim their future."
Abbott and the Texas legislature have enacted laws to increase the penalty for state human trafficking offenses to a first-degree felony and eliminated parole for traffickers who target children and the disabled. They also expanded tools for law enforcement and prosecutors, The Center Square reported.
“Texas is #1 per capita in child exploitation,” the Trafficking Institute says. “Between 2017 and 2021, the National Human Trafficking Hotline received more than 14,000 reports from Texas. During that time, only 37% of Texas counties reported arrests for trafficking, and just 15% reported convictions,” it says. “Texas is uniquely positioned for impact,” it adds, because of its “strong anti-trafficking laws, a statewide commitment to improving enforcement, and excellent survivor service providers.”
As national and state anti-human trafficking efforts continue, Safe House Project launched a new documentary Thursday on Prime Video and Apple TV, A Way Out. It “follows the real people who answer a trafficking survivor's call for help and the race to get them to safety, people rescuing sex trafficked survivors,” the Safe House Project told The Center Square.
Safe House Project, a national anti-trafficking organization, provides more than 624 safe homes nationwide for human trafficking survivors. That equates to providing 227,760 safe nights annually, it says. It serves 200 survivors every month by providing free services, housing placement and escape opportunities.
The organization offers shelter, trauma-informed care, and long-term housing solutions with a goal of empowering survivors to heal and rebuild. It’s also trained more than 400,000 people to identify, report and prevent human trafficking. It’s also collaborating with 10,000 corporations to identify survivors.
Those who are in immediate danger, or know of someone who is, are urged to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, text 233733 or chat online.
Commented