The State of Play
Securing the nation's borders is ultimately about safeguarding people, protecting our nation’s sovereignty, and preserving economic flourishing.
The recent national campaign launched by the Department of Homeland Security to combat human trafficking during the FIFA World Cup exemplifies what can be achieved when proper funding and power come together to enforce the law. During the games, DHS was able to dismantle criminal organizations, free trafficking victims, and reaffirm that the United States is not going to become a market for human trade.
Numbers don’t lie. In the course of this campaign, Homeland Security Investigations made 905 arrests of suspected human traffickers and rescued 180 victims from exploitation, 150 adults and 30 juveniles among them. Every single arrest means that a criminal group has been weakened. Every victim liberated means a life free from traffickers who consider humans as products.
The personal accounts of these achievements are even more impressive. In Dallas, agents from Homeland Security Investigations cracked down on a human trafficking network that had been victimizing people for three years. In San Francisco, authorities found a person who had been missing for over six months, helping someone return home and escape from exploitation. All of these cases show us that behind each statistical number there is a person whose life was altered due to effective policing efforts.
Some critics of tough border security laws suggest that they are inwardly-oriented or isolationist. On the contrary, human trafficking is an international crime business. It festers because of open borders, ineffective policing, fake documents, and international networks that facilitate transportation of victims across countries with incredible efficiency. Each case solved in the country deals another blow to the international criminal ecosystem that exploits vulnerable people all over the Western Hemisphere and beyond.
When the U.S. becomes a less attractive place for traffickers, they lose money, their apparatus, and opportunities to expand. This doesn’t just benefit Americans, but also countless numbers of people, particularly young women, all over the world who could become the victims of trafficking before reaching the country.
DHS was not only able to keep Americans safe, but also confiscated more than 700 illegal drones, conducted over 19,000 inspections of cars near stadiums and fan festivals, and seized more than 473,000 pirated products related to the FIFA World Cup, worth about $33 million in retail price. These measures dealt with several types of criminal behavior at once, understanding that criminal organizations seldom restrict themselves to one activity.
This holistic approach is a reflection of what the American Security Coalition has always insisted on: there can be no compartmentalization of national security. There is a clear connection between border security, public safety, economic security, protection of intellectual property, and fighting against organized crime. When criminal organizations diversify themselves, so should America's response.
Enforcement sends a clear signal overseas as well. The country is dedicated to enforcing the rule of law and protecting those who cannot protect themselves. This is important, because the success of American law enforcement usually leads to international cooperation. If the United States makes trafficking networks a priority, then our allies are going to be encouraged to do the same.
Human trafficking is one of the worst atrocities committed anywhere in the world today. Efforts to fight it must not be seen as something that belongs to just one political side, but rather the responsibility of the entire country. This is proven by the recent operation conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, where strong borders and law enforcement protected not just Americans, but vulnerable individuals around the globe.