Part 10/14:
Exploring the ongoing crisis of unaccompanied minors crossing the border, Cacho links the phenomenon to wider trafficking networks. Many children, fleeing violence and poverty from Central America and elsewhere, fall prey to coyotes—smugglers—and traffickers that exploit their vulnerability for profit.
She notes that some NGOs and border facilities are ill-equipped or compromised, leading to instances where children are re-exploited or fall into human trafficking rings under the guise of assistance. Her investigations reveal that even in the U.S., some domestic sex trafficking operations are expanding, with women and girls from states like Missouri, Arkansas, and Florida being lured or forced into sexual exploitation through the online porn industry or coercive networks.