Texas is one of the worst hotspots for human trafficking in the United States. Houston is the ground zero for this issue in Texas. As a result, it’s one of the biggest cities for human trafficking in the US.
There are a few reasons why Texas has such high rates of this modern slavery. Part of it is due to the size of the state. The population is so spread out over a massive area of land. In fact, Texas is the largest state in the US mainland by landmass. Therefore, there’s more space for traffickers to hide victims.
It also has major highway systems. Its longest Interstate Highway, IH-10, is close to 900 miles.
via Google Maps
And US Highway 83 runs through the state from the Oklahoma border to the Mexico border. This makes it easier for traffickers to transport victims across state lines where they can make more profit off of the victims.
A third reason why Texas is such a hotspot is due to the shared border between the US and Mexico. A large percentage of victims are not US citizens and were most likely coerced, forced, or deceived into coming here.
Let’s take a look at some of the most concerning Texas human trafficking statistics over the last 15 years.
Table of Contents
Texas Definitions
Before we get into the details of human trafficking, one of the most common forms of slavery in the world, it’s important to understand how Texas defines different forms of human trafficking. These legal definitions determine what civilians, police, and the FBI need to look out for, and how the system convicts perpetrators of this type of crime.
According to the Office of the Attorney General in Texas, there are four major types of trafficking…
Adult Sex Trafficking - the trafficking of adults for sex by force, fraud, or coercion in strip clubs, brothels, massage parlors, street prostitution, or internet prostitution.
Adult Labor Trafficking - the trafficking of adults for labor by force, fraud, or coercion into industries, such as agriculture, food service, manufacturing, domestic servitude, or hospitality.
Child Sex Trafficking - the trafficking of children, under the age of 18, by any means into the commercial sex industry.
Child Labor Trafficking - the trafficking of children, under the age of 18, by force, fraud, or coercion into industries such as agriculture, food service, manufacturing, domestic servitude, or hospitality.
General Statistics
Before getting into what this issue looks like for Texas, we must first understand general details about the illegal activities in the state.
It’s important to know how Texas compares to other states and where its hotspots are. These hotspots include the top cities for human trafficking and the top industries for labor trafficking and sex trafficking.
There are around 25 million people enslaved worldwide. (Texas Attorney General)
About 50,000 trafficking victims come into Texas from foreign countries every year. Many other victims are US citizens. (Neal Davis Law)
About 25% of over 100,000 foreigners illegally trafficked into the US each year enter the country via Texas. (US Department of Health and Human Services)
An estimated 25% of all human trafficking victims in the US are in Texas. (Neal Davis Law)
There are a reported 234,000 victims of labor trafficking in Texas at any given time. (Reform Austin)
There are about 79,000 victims of youth and minor sex trafficking in Texas at any given time. (Texas Attorney General)
In 2019, Texas had the second-highest reported cases of human trafficking. The most common type of trafficking in the US was sex trafficking. (NIH)
8,248 out of 11,500 were sex trafficking victims.
Houston ranks as the worst US city for human trafficking. This is largely due to sexual exploitation or forced labor. (Neal Davis Law)
In 2019, the top venues for labor trafficking were domestic work and agriculture, and the top venue for sex trafficking was the illicit massage/spa business. (NIH)
Cases and Arrests
The statistics I just gave sound concerning, especially if you live in or near Texas. But it’s reassuring to know that many of the traffickers get caught and arrested. The state’s police force and other trained individuals have been relatively successful in convicting those who are trafficking children and adults.
In 2020, Texas made 180 arrests related to human trafficking. (Texas Attorney General)
There were 28 convictions and 39 dismissals.
In 2018, Texas actuated 19 criminal human trafficking cases. (Reform Austin)
There were 171 new US cases, and Texas accounted for 11% of them.
Also in 2018, Texas had 74 active criminal human trafficking cases. (Reform Austin)
8% were labor-related
Nearly 92% were sex-trafficking related
Between 2007 and 2019, there have been 5,877 total cases of human trafficking. There have been 7,384 victims categorized as “high.” (National Human Trafficking Hotline)
Cases categorized as “High” have a high level of indicators of human trafficking.
In 2019, there were 1,080 reported human trafficking cases. (Human Trafficking Hotline)
Types of Trafficking in Texas
According to the state’s Human Trafficking Hotline, the 1,080 cases reported in 2019 fall into 4 categories…
805 cases were from sex trafficking
111 cases were from labor trafficking
108 cases were non-specified
56 cases were both sex trafficking and labor trafficking
Venues and Industries for Labor Trafficking
Traffickers have predictable patterns of behavior and are more likely to target certain industries. They even use these industries to hide their victims. The number of cases by industry indicates this.
Below are Texas’ top venues and industries for labor trafficking for the 111 cases of 2019…
30 cases in the Domestic Work industry
9 cases in the Restaurant and Food Service industry
8 cases forced to participate in Illicit Activities
8 cases forced to participate in Traveling Sales Crews
6 cases in the Landscaping Service industry
Venues and Industries for Sex Trafficking
Certain industries are also common fronts for sex trafficking. Out of the 805 cases of sex trafficking in 2019, there were 5 main industries used as fronts…
174 cases in Illicit Massage/Spa Businesses
65 cases in Hotel/Motel-based venues
51 cases in Pornography industries
50 cases in Residence-Based Commercial Sex industries
37 cases in Online Ad, Venue Unknown
Child Trafficking
Sex trafficking of children can occur by any means and doesn’t require the use of force, fraud, or coercion. One of the most vulnerable situations for children is those who run away. One in four runaways encounters someone interested in trafficking them within the first 48 hours of leaving home.
Some of the more common methods of recruitment of children include…
A promise of romance, love, or acceptance
Offers of cash, luxury items, a place to stay, independence, or a glamorous lifestyle
The persuasion of a peer who is already involved,
Meeting the immediate need of a child for food, clothing, shelter, or love
Taking advantage of a vulnerability or a desperate situation
Flattery, lies, manipulation, deception
Exploiting an existing position of power
Making an offer that is too good to be true
Establishing a relationship with a false or tenuous connection
Human Trafficking Texas Laws
Over time, Texas created more laws to combat its human trafficking problem. These laws particularly applied to Houston since it’s a major trafficking hub.
Some laws are preventative, such as requiring training and posting signs for certain industries. Other laws deal with the courts, making reports, and requiring certain groups to handle these situations.
Preventative Laws
Texas House Bill 2059 requires healthcare providers and any Texas Medical Board licensee who has direct patient contact to complete a human trafficking prevention course. (NIH)
Texas HB 29 bill requires certain businesses to post signs by each restroom sink area with the contact information to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center in English and Spanish. (Criminal Attorney Fort Worth)
Groups and Councils
Texas Senate Bill 72 (2019) requires the Office of the Attorney General to create the Human Trafficking Prevention Coordinating Council which formulates and implements a plan to end and prevent human trafficking. (NCBI)
House Bill 4009 created the Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force (Task Force) to address the state’s growing human trafficking crisis. (Texas Attorney General)
The 81st Texas Legislature designated the OAG as the presiding officer of the Task Force. It contains more than fifty member organizations with state agencies, local law enforcement agencies, district attorney’s offices, and non-governmental organizations. (Texas Attorney General)
Reports
In 2007, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1121 which required the Office of the Attorney General of Texas (OAG) to issue a report about the laws on human trafficking. (Texas Attorney General)
Related Criminal Laws
In Texas, if a trafficked adult doesn’t die due to factors from the trafficking situation, this classifies as a second-degree felony. (Case Darwin Law)
The state’s second-degree felonies have penalties between two and 20 years imprisonment and fines of up to $10,000.
The penalties rise to a first-degree felony if the victim is a minor or dies due to instances resulting from the trafficking situation. (Case Darwin Law)
Texas first-degree felonies have penalties between five and 99 years imprisonment and up to a $10,000 fine.
Conclusion
By now, you know how serious of a problem Texas is facing with instances of human trafficking. It has the second-highest rate of human trafficking and houses one of the largest cities of occurrence in the entire country. These Texas human trafficking statistics are concerning for the state’s citizens.
Since so many adults and children are victims, it’s apparent that officials need to address the problem. Thankfully, they are making efforts to do this. The state has implemented new laws to raise awareness and train individuals on how to prevent the situation.
With more training and prevention methods, people can recognize the issue if it occurs in their industry. This is especially useful for the industries and venues that have higher incidences of trafficking.
