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Babin hosts forum on human trafficking
The Journal Friendswood
By Stacey Glaesmann

District 36 State Representative Brian Babin (R-Friendswood) held a Forum for Action on Human Trafficking Tuesday (Aug. 18) at San Jacinto College in Pasadena.
The panel of speakers consisted of Dex Dixon with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Sector Commander and Captain of the Port of Houston Brian Penoyer with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Lt. Cliff Manning with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) Carlos Barron with the FBI, Sgt. Darlene Thomas with Harris County Sheriff’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force and Head Security Officer Michael Perkins with the U.S. State Department.

Human trafficking is defined by the National Human Trafficking Resource Center as, “A form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to control victims for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or labor services against his/her will.”

In contrast, human smuggling is, “The importation of people into a country via the deliberate evasion of immigration laws. This includes bringing illegal aliens into a country, as well as the unlawful transportation and harboring of aliens already in a country illegally. Some smuggling situations may involve murder, rape and assault,” as defined by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Babin began the forum by mentioning recent Congressional action to combat human trafficking and smuggling. He gave HR 285 (SAVE Act of 2015) and HR 357 (Human Trafficking Prevention Act) as examples of legislation that will help victims specifically with resources, protection and services to allow them to begin to heal. This legislation will also ensure that perpetrators are imprisoned for extended lengths of time.

Babin introduced the panel, saying that all of the agencies represented are working together to combat the issue both on a domestic and international level.

FIGHT BEGINS HERE

Babin also called out the average citizen, saying that this fight begins with the regular person on the street. “We are committed to stand with each one of you to combat these crimes, whether you’re law enforcement, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) or a citizen with interest in stopping this horrendous practice.”

Dixon was the first panelist to speak. He said that he served as the Supervisor for the Human Trafficking Group at HSI, which represents one-third of ICE. He announced that September is Human Trafficking Awareness Month in the Houston area.
“The federal government is an umbrella. It can only be effective with cohesiveness and collaboration with local law enforcement and community participation,” Dixon said. “Domestic violence calls and traffic stops can lead to information about larger operations. It's important to know what to look for.”

Dixon said that HSI’s Blue Campaign is an important resource for information about warning signs, as well as part of the national effort to support victims.

“The Blue Campaign is the unified voice for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) efforts to combat human trafficking. Working in collaboration with law enforcement, government, non-governmental and private organizations, the Blue Campaign strives to protect the basic right of freedom and to bring those who exploit human lives to justice,” according to the website at http://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign.

Penoyer spoke about the maritime component in countering trans-national human trafficking and smuggling.

“The Coast Guard has been involved with this issue since the 1790’s before we were even called the Coast Guard,” Penoyer said.

In September 2014, USCG published its “Western Hemisphere Strategy (WHS),” which is a document that, “Explains the vision, objectives, priorities, and initiatives that the USCG plans to take in the immediate future, in order to protect the US and support regional partners in the Western Hemisphere, notably in the Greater Caribbean. The WHS is an important document that requires in-depth research, since the USCG is greatly involved in the day-to-day counter-narcotic operations taking place in the Greater Caribbean,” according to the website.

Penoyer mentioned several recent incidents in which the USCG has success in foiling smuggling attempts. One example he cited was the 1993 discovery of over 300 undocumented Chinese people housed on a freighter docked in New York City. “The things about smuggling is that it often ends up as human trafficking,” said Penoyer. “These people are promised a better life, but when they get here, they are prostituted or exploited for labor purposes.”

MORE DOG SHELTERS

Manning explained that he is part of the DPS Region 2 Human Trafficking Task Force. He said that his main focus is on juveniles. “We do a lot of investigations on runaways, which are prime targets for traffickers,” he said. “We get notifications from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. We work off of those. And our track record is great. We have recovered 85% of the victims that we are assigned to.”

“There are more dog shelters in America than shelters for human trafficking victims,” Manning continued. “There are only about 50 beds in the greater Houston-Galveston area. And these people need many services: addiction, mental health, medical and education services are just the tip of the iceberg.”

Barron explained that his team’s focus on the Innocence Lost task Force is two-pronged: domestic (U.S.) and international. “International victims are coerced to come here for a better life. Then they become slaves. For example, a girl in Mexico meets and falls in love with the man of her dreams. They have a child together. Then he says he wants to take her to the U.S. for a better life. He enslaves her and keeps her with threats to their child or her family. These people are heartless,” Barron said.

TASK FORCE RESULTS

According to the Innocence Lost website, “To date, these [69 Task Forces] have worked successfully to rescue more than 3,400 children. Investigations have successfully led to the conviction of nearly 1,500 pimps, madams, and their associates who exploit children through prostitution. These convictions have resulted in lengthy sentences, including multiple life sentences and the seizure of real property, vehicles and monetary assets.”

Thomas said that HCSO’s Task Force is comprised of several different law enforcement agencies and NGOs. “We are the law enforcement side of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance,” she said.

Thomas stated that the Houston area is the largest human trafficking hub in the country because of its proximity to the border, the interstate highways that run north-south and east-west and its proximity to the Port of Houston.

Perkins said that his job focuses on the law enforcement and security branch for the U.S. State Department. “We look for fraudulent passports and visas, as well as provide diplomatic security services,” he said.

Perkins recounted a recent case in which a victim fled Houston to a different country. “We reached out to Diplomatic Security Agents in that country and that victim will soon be coming back to Texas to testify against the trafficker,” he said.

The panel all agreed that speaking up is one of the most important tasks for the community at large. “If you see something suspicious, call CrimeStoppers or your local law enforcement,” said Manning. “They will pass it along to one of us and if one of us knows, all of us will know.”

Familiarity with the warning signs of human trafficking is also paramount. “Not many victims are going to run up and say, ‘Hey I’m being trafficked,” said Thomas. “Many of them don’t consider themselves victims.”

Other obstacles include language and cultural barriers, mental and physical manipulation and actual better living conditions in the U.S. than the victim’s country of origin.

“Most of the time, our first point of contact with a victim is an arrest,” said Thomas. “We have trained interviewers that build trust with the victim and hopefully, it goes on from there.”

To learn about the signs of or to report a suspected victim of human trafficking, visit http://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/indicators-human-trafficking. Anonymous tips may also be called into the HIS Tipline at 866-347-2423.