Thread by @jennybethm

Today is #HumanTraffickingAwarenessDay, which I just realized.

Having visited the border & talked to local law enforcement, Customs & Border Patrol, and local citizens along the border beginning in 2014, the human trafficking issue was one that horrified me the most. 1/25

In 2014, had we included too many the issues of modern-day slavery in our Border States of America documentary, people would not have accepted it as real.
It is difficult to believe and accept such problems are happening in America - the land of the free.
#BuildTheWall 2/25

Sadly, #HumanTrafficking IS a reality in America and across the world. (Thank you #HumanTraffickingAwarenessDay for bringing attention to it.)

(Keep reading thread for links to article about the problem.) 3/25

Thanks to @realDonaldTrump and the round table meeting yesterday, more people are learning about the realities along the border including (but not limited to) #humantrafficking. 4/25

I watched part of @realdonaldTrump's roundtable meeting on @theHill's Facebook page yesterday. Many of the comments were rude toward the President - not surprising. What was surprising was how many are so quick to ignore & mock the realities and tragedies along the border. 5/25

Maybe those commenters have not taken the time to learn more about why Houston is a hub for modern day slavery & what CBP face ea day.

Here're articles about the situation how @realDonaldTrump's broad #BorderSecurity plan & round table helps
#HumanTraffickingAwarenessDay
6/25

@cnn (5/7/2018) cnn.com/2016/08/11/us/…:

A. 19,000 sex trafficking cased reported in US since 2007 (to 2016 when article published) (National Human Trafficking Resource Center)
B. 2,600 reported in 2016 alone, most in CA and TX is 2nd highest state.
7/25

C. Quotes Houston YMCA human trafficking caseworker Rachel Alvarez quoted: "I thought human trafficking was just a crime that happens in third world countries. Until I started looking in my country.
(NOTE-I was same until my 2014 research for @tppatriots border documentary)
8/25

D. "For uninitiated, it's hard to imagine thousands kidnapped... in Mexico or elsewhere and taken against their will to the US, where they serve as sex slaves."
#BuildTheWall 9/25

E-FBI special agent Suzanne Bradley: "People see Houston as a hub for human trafficking because of its proximity to the border...also has access to the I-10 hwy corridor,...it's very easy to get them on that I-10 route & disperse them throughout the country."
#BuildTheWall 10/25

Next article (2/16/2018): chron.com/neighborhood/k…
A-It is both a domestic and international problem, affects suburbia
B-TX State Rep Joan Huffman gives stat: more than 300,000 people in Texas are victims of human trafficking w/ almost 80,000 of that number being children. 11/25

Next post (11/14/2018): fly2houston.com/newsroom/artic…
"People see Houston as a hub for #humantrafficking b/c of its proximity to the Mexican border, access to the I-10 highway corridor & access to two international airports & one of the largest ports in the world."
#BuildTheWall 12/25

Next (1/22/2018): houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-t…
A. An investigation into a brothel found international scheme "run by a ruthless sex trafficking ring that lured undocumented women into prostitution with false promises of restaurant jobs." 13/25

B. "When trafficking victims escaped their clutches, gang members crossed borders to hunt them down and force them back into service, according to sworn testimony by two investigators at several federal court detention hearings last fall."
#BuildTheWall 14/25

C. Alfred T. Tribble Jr., an FBI supervisor who oversees the human trafficking unit in Houston: "Houston is fertile ground for trafficking because of its proximity to the border, its sexually oriented businesses, its diversity and the demand for sexual services" 15/25

(8/4/2017): defendernetwork.com/news/local-sta… mentions:
A. "Human rights advocates say Black women and other women of color make up the bulk of trafficking victims."
B. Houston is hub because of proximity to Mexico.
C. Domestic victims as well as international victims.
16/25

(2014) relay.nationalgeographic.com/proxy/distribu…
A. Lawlessness has made Falfurrias, TX "part of increasingly vast and lucrative human smuggling hub."
B. Defines "rape tree" - trees where bras & underwear are hung by coyotes who smuggle [and abuse] women
17/25

Back to those who have mocked the President. Perhaps they do not know @realDonaldTrump has a broad plan for #BorderSecurity includes and involves more than #BuildTheWall.

His plan for border security includes:
18/25

1. A steel barrier (i.e. a wall, a fence, etc.) that provides visibility, as requested by Border Patrol, so that they can see what is happening on the other side of the wall
2. 750 additional border patrol agents to keep our borders safe and secure
#BuildTheWall
19/25

3. 2,000 additional law enforcement personnel and support staff who will enforce immigration laws, combat gang violence, and stop drug smuggling and human traffickers
(more below, #BuildTheWall)
20/25

4. 52,000 detention beds to address the needs of the influx of border crossers
5. Enhanced medical support, consumable supplies, transportation, and additional temporary facilities to process and ensure the well-being & short-term custody of border crossers.
21/25

6. Technology at ports of entry to detect narcotics, weapons, and other materials that pose a threat to the United States
7. 75 additional immigration judges and support staff to reduce the backlog of pending immigration cases
22/25

8. Method or system to allow people to apply for asylum from their home countries to reduce family separations and the dangers migrants encounter on the journey, so they may stay in their own homes as they await a determination on asylum.
23/25

Even if we can't get agree on President Trump, we should be able to agree to want to stop human trafficking & modern day slavery.
@realDonaldTrump is bringing attention to a real problem in the US. He has a broad plan to help solve problem.
#HumanTraffickingAwarenessDay 24/25

It's time time to secure our borders with a @realDonaldTrump's #BorderSecurity plan, so we can help stop human trafficking. Call Congress & tell them to fund President Trump's broad border security plan. 202-224-3121.

#BuildTheWall #HumanTraffickingAwarenessDay 25/25