FROM FOX NEWS:
Individuals being trafficked along interstate highways has become increasingly common throughout the U.S. However, data regarding just how many victims are transported along interstate highways remains unavailable, largely due to the secretive nature of such crimes.
In November, a multi-regional operation involving several federal, state and local agencies resulted in the rescue of 122 missing or endangered children from ten states, according to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
The mission, referred to as “Operation Home for the Holidays,” marked one of the largest child-recovery efforts in the country’s history and included children ranging in age from 23 months to 17 years old.
A 2024 report released by the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking, found that global traffickers earn over $150 billion annually from their victims, who are used as human goods and forced to perform services, including sex acts.
“While roadways, railways, waterways, and airways serve as vital arteries of global connectivity and commerce, these same networks can also facilitate the clandestine movement of individuals being subjected to human trafficking by concealing them amidst the vast flow of legitimate passengers,” the report states.
The victims are moved within a network of traffickers who use interstate highways, typically within states and cities that have marine ports and international airports.
The transportation sector has a particularly important roll in facilitating and preventing human trafficking, with private vehicles being the most common form of transporting victims, according to the Human Trafficking Institute’s Annual Federal Human Trafficking Report.
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