Episode 19: Debt Bondage at the Border

The US/Mexico border has quickly turned into a public-health calamity, humanitarian catastrophe, and a national-security crisis. The current statistics are staggering and unprecedented — but behind the numbers sits a vast criminal enterprise profiting off the lives of human beings. 

US-Mexico criminal organizations earned nearly $14M a day last month trafficking women, children, families and single adults. 

Many migrants are subject to “debt bondage” which equates to indentured  servitude once they’ve entered the US. This occurs when migrants agree to work off a debt they have accrued. Traffickers then continue to compound interest and other charges to what appears to be a simple employment agreement.  

Trafficking and human smuggling is a multi-billion dollar criminal business operated by the cartels and their money is washed by Chinese money brokers. Chinese banks have emerged to become key players in laundering money for Latin American drug cartels. 

These conditions create a perfect storm of vulnerability — and the stories of abuse and sexual violence are enough to stain your soul. Nearly 70% of migrants travelling north to the United States are victims of violence (2019 WH Report).

Border security and immigration are often conflated into a singular talking point — however, they are two distinct issues and require separate examination. We cannot continue to engineer conditions under which nefarious actors and prey on and profit from other human beings. Take a stand and let your voice be heard.