Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera: Asylum Seekers and Migrants in the Western Hemisphere Face Real Threats from Human Trafficking

This interview with Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera is part of the Women and Foreign Policy program’s Democracy, Corruption, and the Fight Against Human Trafficking Project, produced by Senior Fellow Ann Norris.

Many migrants and asylum seekers traveling from or through Central America to the United States pay smuggling rings to help facilitate their journey. These same people often find themselves at the mercy of human trafficking rings who exploit them for labor or services or force them to commit crimes. Why are migrants and asylum seekers particularly vulnerable to trafficking?  

Migrants and asylum seekers are by definition marginalized and extremely vulnerable. Most migrants make the difficult decision to travel north because they lack physical and economic security at home. They are driven by push factors that include gang violence, drug-related violence, domestic violence, lack of economic opportunity, political instability, and environmental disasters exacerbated by climate change. They are drawn to the U.S. by pull factors, which usually involve the promise of employment along with enhanced safety and security. 

Migrants and asylum seekers are acutely vulnerable to trafficking for a number of reasons. Nearly all migrants from South and Central America who make their way to the southern border come from countries with extremely weak rule of law and institutions which have already proven unable to protect them or provide them with opportunity. Particularly as asylum has become a more distant prospect, they also lack legal, viable pathways to the United States and therefore begin their journeys knowing that they may have to cross the border illegally. Therefore, human traffickers can fill the spaces left by absent institutional protections at home or a viable, legal pathway to asylum inside the United States.  

This vulnerability to human trafficking continues as migrants travel through other countries where they lack legal status. In order to reach - and cross into - the United States, migrants often rely on smugglers, many of whom may be tied to larger crime rings or organizations. The smugglers charge significant fees, which few migrants can pay for upfront. Instead, many go into debt to pay for their journey, making them extremely vulnerable to labor trafficking or exploitation.  

Furthermore, many migrants—adults and children alike—travel to the U.S. to secure a source of income for themselves and their families. When such migrants arrive in the United States or an intermediary country, they typically have to depend on strangers to help them find jobs and housing. This reliance on strangers can lead to exploitation through trafficking and forced labor, including for children. Many men and boys find themselves victims of forced labor, while women and girls more often fall victim to prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation.  

You have said that most women who decide to undertake the journey north understand the many risks they may face along the way, including falling victim to sexual and gender-based violence and/or into the hands of trafficking rings. Can you tell us about the particular vulnerabilities of women and girls? How do you see the experiences of women and girls differ from male migrants/asylum seekers?  

Sadly, many female migrants know that they are likely to undergo these forms of violence and exploitation but feel they have no choice but to make the trip regardless. Women and girls from South and Central America are vulnerable to certain abuses, particularly rape and sex trafficking. And they are at risk during every step of their journey. Many are raped or abused during their journey to the southern border by fellow migrants or even those who are charged with providing some level of protection, such as shelter workers. Additionally, most of the smugglers, and the actors in the criminal networks they are tied to, are male and frequently target women and girls with sexual violence. Further, while men and boys typically pay off any debts they incur through labor exploitation, women and girls are often forced to pay in the form of sex work. It can then become difficult to escape these situations, in part because sexual exploitation can lead to drug and alcohol addiction. 

Genaro Garcia Luna, the former secretary of public security in Mexico, was recently convicted on drug trafficking charges after taking millions of dollars from the Sinaloa cartel. The conviction was widely praised, but cases like this are rare, particularly given how widespread the challenges are. Far too often, corruption takes place with complete impunity, particularly at the local level. How does corruption among local officials fuel trafficking in the region? What should policymakers be focused on?  

Authorities at all levels, including at the local level, are often connected with criminal networks and/or help protect them. This happens in Central America and Mexico and sometimes also in the United States. Some officials knowingly allow and protect traffickers, while others actively participate in illicit activities. This can take the form of eliciting extortion fees from migrants traveling on bus routes or using brothels or other facilities filled with victims of sexual exploitation, among other abuses of authority. Due to this well-known endemic corruption, migrants—especially women and children—often do not trust law enforcement officials. This makes migrants/asylum seekers unlikely to seek help from authorities when they are trafficked or fall victim to other crimes.  

Corruption is observed at the individual level but extends to institutional structures. Some government organizations build salaries and incentives in a way that encourages corrupt activity. Policymakers should focus on restructuring these institutions to discourage corruption and build-in accountability.  

The Biden administration has issued a new rule that will essentially require most asylum seekers to wait for an appointment outside the United States (or risk ineligibility if they cross the border illegally). Do you think that this policy will make individuals more vulnerable to traffickers? What, if anything, can be done to increase protections against that outcome?  

I am afraid the Biden Administration’s new rule will do little to change the situation. Migrants will continue to suffer, and many will fall victim to crime and trafficking rings. The policy may further dissuade migrants from pursuing legal pathways for migration because it has made crossing into the United States more complicated and time intensive. Waiting on the Mexican side of the southern border is too dangerous for many migrants, so they will opt to illegally cross into the United States rather than wait for their asylum hearings. Additionally, migrants will increasingly pay smugglers to help them illegally cross into the United States, instead of only paying for transportation to the border. This is a much more expensive trip, thus forcing migrants to incur more debt. As migrants rack up more debt, they become increasingly vulnerable and are more likely to end up in trafficking or exploitation to pay their debts. 

The only way to address trafficking is to fundamentally fix the immigration and asylum systems in the United States. These solutions exist—as outlined by the comprehensive immigration reform proposal—but I fear they will never be implemented because the issue is so politicized.  

What would you like to tell policymakers in the U.S. working on these issues? Is there anything that you think they are failing to understand? Do you think we need more research to better understand how corruption and the crime of human trafficking are linked?  

U.S. lawmakers know that they must pass comprehensive immigration reform to address this problem. Nothing else will work. But I am afraid that far too many lawmakers will continue using the issue to gain political traction at the expense of implementing meaningful reforms. A similar problem also exists in Central America. There is very little incentive to address the corruption and violence that is driving migration because the governments benefit from the constant outpouring of migrants to the United States, especially since so many migrants send reparations home. And despite some limited efforts by recent administrations, United States lawmakers have little leverage to force Central American governments to assume responsibility for their populations.