Human Trafficking in Arizona

In the world of human smuggling, metro Phoenix has emerged as an enormous staging area where illegal immigrants are held hostage in apartments, motel rooms or rental homes until relatives pay their fees. Arizona state investigators say it is a $2 billion-a-year, black-market business that drives illegal immigration, spreading corruption and violence through the Valley. On any given day in the Valley, agents say, thousands of undocumented immigrants are stuffed into drophouses as “coyotes” collect the cash, arrange for transportation and fend off other smugglers who would steal migrant clients for ransom.   Click here for the full story.

And don’t forget to check out Jennifer Chacón’s super article on human trafficking in the latest issue of the Fordham Law Review.

KJ