ICE Tampa announces human trafficking awareness campaign
TAMPA – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office partnered with Clear Channel Outdoor on a Tampa Bay area human trafficking awareness outreach campaign utilizing billboards across the region.
“HSI works to uncover, dismantle and disrupt human trafficking around the globe,” said HSI Tampa Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero. “Awareness and outreach are two of the most important tools to identify victims of human trafficking and we hope this billboard campaign will encourage the public to report suspicious activity.”
This outreach campaign was part of January’s Human Trafficking Awareness Month. More information on human trafficking is available at https://www.ice.gov/features/human-trafficking.
HSI employs a victim-centered approach, where equal value is placed on the identification and stabilization of victims, as well as the investigation and prosecution of traffickers.
Human trafficking victims have been found in communities nationwide in the agriculture, hospitality, restaurant, domestic work and other industries, as well as in prostitution that is facilitated online, on the street, or in businesses fronting for prostitution such as massage parlors. Overseas forced labor can be used to produce the consumer goods that are in our homes and workplaces. These victims are men, women and children of all ages and can include U.S. citizens and foreign nationals. Many of them thought they had found a good paying job or a better life, only to have their hopes dashed and work compelled.
If you notice suspicious activity in your community, call the ICE Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or report tips online.
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