US, Mexico Must Expand Efforts to Fight Human Trafficking

By Marifeli Pérez-Stable and Landen Romei
Latin America Advisor February 4, 2009

Originally published in Marifeli Pérez-Stable’s “Around the Hemisphere” column for the Dialogue's daily Latin America Advisor

WASHINGTON—According to the International Labor Organization, there are 12.3 million people in forced labor and sexual servitude around the world. However, other non-profit organizations estimate that the number is closer to 27 million and growing, especially in Latin America. Since the passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) in 2000, the United States has dedicated millions of dollars to protect victims of contemporary slavery worldwide. Under TVPA, a special T visa was established to give victims safe haven in the United States. Of the 800,000 victims of trafficking globally, more than 14,500 slaves are brought into the United States annually, yet only 1,094 have qualified for T visas since 2000. On December 8, US Citizenship and Immigration Services issued an interim rule granting permanent residence to up to 5,000 T visa-holders per year.

Human trafficking is defined as the movement or harboring of people through abuse, coercion or fraud when forced labor is the end goal. Fueled by a nearly constant stream of people who are eager to cross into the United States, the trafficking industry along the border with Mexico transports between 5,000 and 8,000 people every year. Coyotes charge an average of $1,500 per journey. Due to heightened security throughout most of the border region, migrants are trekking through the Sonoran Desert to Arizona, a treacherous passage which costs over 200 lives every year. Coyotes easily take advantage of their vulnerable clients once they arrive on the US side. More than 70 percent of these victims are women.

In 2005, Mexico and the United States entered into a bilateral agreement called the Operation Against Smuggling Initiative on Safety and Security (OASISS), with the objective of protecting migrants and prosecuting traffickers. Through the end of the 2007 fiscal year, OASISS facilitated the prosecution of 660 individuals in Mexico on smuggling or trafficking charges. In addition to its participation in OASISS, the US coordinates among several federal agencies to prevent human trafficking, prosecute traffickers and protect victims. Last year, the Trafficking in Persons report shows that US attorneys' offices opened 182 investigations, charged 89 individuals and obtained 103 convictions in cases involving human trafficking. In addition to federal measures, 33 US states now have anti-trafficking legislation. Mexico passed its own anti-trafficking legislation in November 2007.

Given the recent improved T visa provisions, the US record for protection of victims should advance in the coming year. However, until the social and economic push factors are addressed in Mexico, the desire to enter the US will continue to trump the risk involved in crossing the border. Each of the three categories of anti-trafficking efforts requires significant work. Though the 2008 reauthorization of the TVPA included a clause to assist unaccompanied minors along the border, implementation standards have yet to be formulated. On both sides of the border, further education campaigns, more intensive anti-corruption methods, and better police training are needed. While much progress has been made to protect victims, prevention is still sorely lacking. President Barack Obama should make curtailing human trafficking a high priority within future border security discussions with Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

Marifeli Pérez-Stable is Vice President for Democratic Governance at the Inter-American Dialogue. Landen Romei is a Program Assistant at the Dialogue.