Copeland: Colorado’s sex-trafficking crisis, an intersection of immigration and crime

By Dr. Tom Copeland | Commentary, Denver Gazette

Immigration and crime are two of the top issues in this November’s election, according to polls. Where those two issues intersect tragically is sex trafficking, a $150 billion global industry.

According to a recent investigative report by The Free Press, sex and labor trafficking of minors in the United States has more than tripled in the past four years — at least gauging by the number who have escaped slavery. That largely coincides with the opening of the southern border. Colorado is not immune to this trend.

There is “market demand” for trafficked migrants; a recent bust in Florida arrested scores of johns, not just traffickers. Investigators with Shepherd’s Watch, a nonprofit which tracks commercial sex trends and identifies potential victims and traffickers to law enforcement, say that the volume of trafficking ads on TikTok, Facebook, and other platforms has grown dramatically in the past four years. They claim that 90% of the ads now are for migrant girls.

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