Texas

As surprising as it is that human trafficking is a big problem in the United Staes, it may be more surprising to know that Texas, and Houston specifically, is one of the largest human trafficking problem areas in America.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 25% of all human trafficking victims are in Texas.

Why is Texas such a problem?

There may be many reasons, but one pretty obvious reason is Interstate 10 (I-10). I-10 is the longest continuous un-tolled freeway under one authority.

What does that mean? 

I-10 is 2,460 miles long, stretching from Santa Monica, California to Jacksonville, Florida. Of those 2,460 miles, Texas contains just under a third of the highway, at 879 miles.

Here's a picture:

1-10 connects three major Texas cities:
El Paso, San Antonio, and Houston.

It is the lack of supervision that creates a perfect shadow for human trafficking to thrive in, and the connection to three major cities that allows for easy transit of victims.

In 2006 the 1-10 corridor was identified by the Department of Justice National Conference on Human Trafficking as one of the main routes for human traffickers, with Houston and El Paso being identified with a very high level of trafficking (Abbott, 2011).