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Revealed: Trump administration retreats on combating human trafficking and child exploitation
Experts say decades of progress are under threat; Trump officials say administration remains committed to fighting trafficking and sex abusewww.theguardian.com
Exclusive: Federal drug prosecutions fall to lowest level in decades as Trump shifts focus to deportations
The shift has produced a slowdown in longer-term drug investigations and prosecutions.www.reuters.com
There is significant debate and conflicting evidence regarding whether Trump's border policies have lowered human trafficking into the U.S.
The Trump administration claims that its strict border enforcement has reduced human trafficking. Officials state that declaring a national emergency, reinstating the "Remain in Mexico" policy, and drastically reducing border encounters have contributed to securing the border and stopping the trafficking of children. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin asserted that the administration is "dismantling sex trafficking networks and saving children from sexual exploitation and abuse," linking deportation efforts to the removal of criminal aliens, including traffickers. The administration reports a 99.99% drop in migration through the Darien Gap, which it presents as evidence of successful deterrence.
However, multiple experts and advocacy groups argue that these policies may actually increase vulnerability to human trafficking. By imposing a moratorium on asylum at the southern border and suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, the administration has limited lawful pathways for migrants, potentially pushing them into the hands of cartels and organized crime that exploit individuals for forced labor and sex trafficking. Denying protection to refugees violates international obligations and heightens risks, especially for unaccompanied minors.
Moreover, aggressive immigration enforcement, including a sharp rise in ICE arrests and collaboration with local law enforcement, has created fear among immigrant communities, discouraging trafficking victims from reporting abuse or seeking help. This "chilling effect" makes it harder for law enforcement to identify and investigate trafficking cases. Critics also point to the cancellation of over $500 million in grants for anti-trafficking programs and the defunding of USAID initiatives that addressed root causes like poverty and gender-based violence, arguing these cuts undermine long-term prevention and victim support.
In summary, while the administration claims border crackdowns have reduced trafficking, experts warn these actions may exacerbate vulnerability and hinder anti-trafficking efforts by driving victims underground and eliminating critical support systems.
Most illegal drugs enter the United States through official ports of entry (POEs) along the Southwest border, primarily transported in vehicles with concealed compartments or commingled with legitimate cargo. Mexican transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) dominate this trafficking, using commercial trucks, private vehicles, and rental cars to smuggle drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl across the 25 land POEs. Although some drugs are smuggled between ports of entry via desert or mountainous terrain using methods like tunnels, all-terrain vehicles, or foot couriers, the majority of seizures and intelligence indicate that POEs are the primary route.
For specific drugs, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data shows that most illicit fentanyl is smuggled through POEs, often hidden in small quantities within vehicles or carried by individuals, including U.S. citizens. Similarly, more marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin have been seized at POEs than between them, contradicting the common belief that drugs primarily enter through unguarded areas. Maritime smuggling also occurs, with drugs transported via container ships, fishing vessels, and semi-submersibles, but overland methods exceed all others combined in volume.
Mexican cartels are the principal facilitators, controlling the flow of foreign-produced drugs like Colombian cocaine—of which an estimated 93% bound for the U.S. transits through Mexico—and manufacturing methamphetamine and heroin domestically for export. While internet-facilitated mail delivery of synthetic drugs like fentanyl analogues and designer substances (e.g., synthetic cannabinoids) is a growing concern, the vast majority of illicit drug volume still enters through physical border crossings.
Sounds like a bunch of bullshit.
If you reduce illegal border crossings by literally millions, that is by definition significantly reducing human trafficking.
