Paso del Norte Center of Hope raises awareness over human trafficking cases on the border

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The Paso del Norte Center of Hope, which was opened to assist and protect victims of human trafficking, leads anti-trafficking efforts in the borderland and is partnering with law enforcement and local nonprofits in the region.

The center has seen an average of 45 to 50 human trafficking cases monthly this year so far, compared to about 211 they reported last year.

"Human trafficking is a crime against a person; it's a person who's been victimized by another person and human smuggling, people have to cross into the United States or onto an international border, we try to teach the difference," said Executive Director Nicole Schiff.

Schiff has been the head of the center for nearly six years now and says the most important part of her job is to show the differences between smuggling and trafficking in El Paso.

These are some examples of human trafficking cases they have responded to:

• Child exploitation
• Online exploitation

"People aren't aware that that's happening in our community, so when I'm able to give them that information and help them become more aware, I think that's the best part of my job," said Schiff.

"Smuggling can definitely turn into trafficking because the person is extremely vulnerable, they're here potentially without a job, without a place to stay, so absolutely their smuggler, whoever's with them, can either traffic them or they can end up in a situation like that because maybe somebody offered them shelter, food, something in exchange for their work; there's there's similarities, but they are very different," she added.

Human trafficking could be involuntary, exploitation-based, no border crossing required, it can involve citizens or foreign nationals, lucrative, illicit and it also involves an organized crime network.

"There have been people for sure that have been smuggled into the country or come in and in the process were trafficked, so we have served individuals from Cuba, Venezuela, we've had both males and females and they end up being offered a job."

"They have to work excessive hours, they're not getting paid, their documents are being held against them, or they're promised that they'll get documents there, promise they'll get help with the documents, and then they don't get anything," Schiff added. "They're just working and working; we have unfortunately assisted individuals who have come in legally and then needed help and were promised basically false promises."

The Center of Hope also refers people for legal services, but they do not offer those.

The average age of the Center's clients is 14; therefore, they primarily serve young people.

Currently, they have three full-time case managers dedicated to young people, compared to just one for adults, and the trend observed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic is a significant increase in online exploitation.

"So, youth engaging with adults, a 14-year-old with a 35-year-old, a 14-year-old with a soldier on Fort Bliss, like we've seen a ton of youth engagement and involvement in victimization, that's the primary work that we've been doing," Schiff added. "Like I said, that other small percentage that are coming into the country, we're certainly helping them, but what we've seen the most is youth being exploited, being sex trafficked, sexually abused by older individuals."

For more information on how the center can help you, you can click here.