Mission: The Paso del Norte Center of Hope exists to protect victims of human trafficking and modern-day slavery and to lead anti-trafficking efforts within the Region through outreach, education, and person-centered services.

What is human trafficking? Human trafficking occurs when criminals control or exploit vulnerable people for profit. By definition, human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, threats, or coercion to obtain labor or commercial sex.

Who are the victims? ANYONE can be a victim of human trafficking. Traffickers target the most vulnerable people in our society, including homeless youth, immigrants looking for work, and adults or youth living in poverty. Traffickers often withhold victims’ identification or important papers, threaten victims and their families, or manipulate victims by making extravagant promises.

Where does trafficking occur? Trafficking can occur anywhere, and it’s happening in El Paso. Here are some of the common settings where trafficking may occur:

Labor trafficking: construction, restaurants, cleaning, elder care, domestic service, agricultural work, nail salons, marriage

Sex trafficking: strip clubs, bars, marriage, sex work, online sites, modeling agencies, massage parlors

UNITED STATES

1 out of 6 runaway youth are victims of human trafficking (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 2016)​

Reports of human trafficking in the U.S. increase each year.

TEXAS · Estimated 300,000 victims of labor and sex trafficking in Texas (Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, 2016) · Interstate-10 is the most heavily traveled route for human trafficking in the United States (U.S. Department of Justice, 2015)​