ICE, Department of State host first ever state-level anti-human trafficking seminar for Mexican law enforcement

MEXICO CITY — A team of Mexican law enforcement officers participated in a three-day anti-human trafficking seminar held in Toluca, Mexico. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Attaché Office in Mexico City and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) hosted the seminar that ended Thursday.

Approximately 55 representatives from the State of Mexico and the Mexican Federal Police participated in the seminar, the first ever state-level training of its kind. The Instituto Mexiquense de Seguridad y Justicia and the Comisión de Seguridad Estatal del Gobierno del Estado de México assisted with hosting the seminar.

HSI special agents taught participants key human trafficking indicators to help them identify victims and traffickers. For instance, human trafficking victims can be male or female, as well as any age, race or nationality. Many are recruited through force, fraud or coercion. Those targeted by traffickers are often perceived as vulnerable. Undocumented migrants, runaways and at-risk youth, and oppressed or marginalized groups are among high-risk populations for human trafficking victims.

Human trafficking victims often go unnoticed by the general public. They are voiceless and scared. In a blink of an eye, they do not control their possessions or money and have found themselves in an unfamiliar culture without identification documents. They are afraid for their safety and the lives of their families.

For ICE, human trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes it investigates. As a result, ICE is serious about taking the necessary steps to end the crime. In 2014 alone, HSI initiated 987 human trafficking investigations and recorded 1,770 arrests, 1,028 indictments and 828 convictions associated with human trafficking. The agency also identified 440 victims.

Ending human trafficking begins with education and awareness. If you know or suspect someone is being forced to work against his/her will or is involved with a trafficking organization, contact HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or online. You can also view or download ICE’s human trafficking public service announcement.

Multiple high-level officials within the Mexican and U.S. government pledged their support to combat human trafficking through close bilateral cooperation. Both nations have a longstanding relationship and continue to collaborate to combat human trafficking, a crime which affects both countries.

Through its International Operations, HSI has 65 operational attaché offices in 46 countries around the world. HSI special agents work closely with foreign law enforcement agencies through a robust network of specialized, vetted units known as Transnational Criminal Investigative Units. Additionally, HSI brings personnel from host countries to the United States to train at the Department of Homeland Security Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia.