I’m sipping my coffee and reading this article, and I just can’t believe the story that’s unfolding. A family came to the United States and started a sex trafficking operation, preying on young, poor women from Central and South America. They promised these women a better life, but instead, they forced them into prostitution. The scheme was pretty simple: they’d offer the women a chance to immigrate and work, but once they arrived, they’d be told they owed a huge debt, often tens of thousands of dollars. The women felt they had no choice but to engage in commercial sex to pay off the debt. It’s just appalling.
The ringleader of the operation, Yilibeth del Carmen Rivero-De Caldera, pleaded guilty to three conspiracy charges: sex trafficking, conspiring to bring illegal aliens into the US for financial gain, and money laundering. She faces up to life in prison, and I think that’s a pretty fitting sentence. According to Tysen Duva, who runs the Justice Department’s criminal division, the victims are young people who “think they’re coming to America for some type of opportunity for a better life.” Instead, they’re forced into a life of sex trafficking.
The Justice Department has made human trafficking one of its top priorities, and it’s easy to see why. Human trafficking is estimated to be a $32 billion-a-year global industry, and it’s one of the most profitable criminal enterprises out there. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recently appointed a prosecutor, Alessandra Serano, to act as a liaison to other federal agencies on the department’s human trafficking and child exploitation work. Serano hopes to “take the best of what DOJ has to offer” on its human trafficking investigations and partner with other agencies to combat this problem.
The victims in this case were surveilled on a “near-constant basis” to ensure they didn’t escape, and their immigration documents were often withheld. Some victims even believed Rivero-De Caldera and one of her sons were connected to a cartel and US-designated terrorist organization, which just adds to the horror of this story. One victim was told she’d have to pay an additional $35,000 because she brought her 5-year-old daughter with her. It’s just heartbreaking to think about.
As I finish reading this article, I’m left shaking my head. The fact that people can be so cruel and exploit others for their own gain is just mind-boggling. But I’m also heartened to see that the Justice Department is taking human trafficking seriously and working to combat it. It’s a complex problem, but with the right resources and partnerships, maybe we can make a dent in it.
In the end, it’s just a sad reminder that there are some really bad people in this world, but there are also a lot of good people working to make it a better place. And that’s something to hold onto. So, the next time you’re sipping your coffee and reading the news, just remember: there’s a lot of ugliness out there, but there’s also a lot of good. And with a little bit of effort, maybe we can make the world a slightly better place, one cup of coffee at a time.
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
