“If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong.” — Abraham Lincoln, former U.S. President

“Human trafficking is an open wound on the body of contemporary society, a scourge upon the body of Christ. It is a crime against humanity.” —Pope Francis

“Remember that every person on the streets, in a club, on the internet, in a hotel room, WHEREVER they may be, have families and loved ones and hearts just as you do, and that they are worthy and enough. When you see us, could you just offer a small smile? Extend a small bit of compassion even though you may not personally understand? Small, simple actions have the potential to make a large impact, and now is the time more than ever before.” —Melissa Diehl, survivor of human trafficking

In a December 12, 2023 study by the National Libraries of Medicine titled Labor trafficking in marijuana production: a hidden epidemic in the shadows of the cannabis industry Jaya Prakash, Timothy B Erickson, Marti MacGibbon , Hanni Stoklosa wrote,

Labor trafficking in marijuana production remains a concealed epidemic within the expanding cannabis industry. This abstract brings attention to the systemic exploitation of vulnerable individuals engaged in cultivating, harvesting, and processing cannabis. It explores the factors contributing to labor trafficking, including demand for cheap labor, inadequate regulation, and the vulnerability of the workforce. By compiling published cases, both in peer-reviewed literature and the media, this perspective piece investigates the extent of health issues experienced by labor-trafficked victims. These include chronic pain from repetitive tasks, respiratory problems due to exposure to pesticides and other toxic substances, musculoskeletal injuries, malnutrition, and mental health disorders stemming from trauma and extreme stress. Additionally, this perspective article examines the factors contributing to poor health outcomes of labor-trafficked victims, including hazardous working conditions, lack of access to healthcare, and physical and psychological abuse. Addressing the health challenges faced by labor-trafficked victims in the cannabis industry requires multidimensional solutions: awareness among healthcare providers, comprehensive medical services, and mental health support. Furthermore, collaborative efforts among government agencies, healthcare providers, labor organizations, and the cannabis industry are essential in preventing trafficking and addressing the health disparities faced by labor-trafficked victims.

Read the full study.

The Center for Immigration Studies’  Colin Farnsworth in a September 16, 2024 article title HHS Stonewalls FOIA Request on ‘Lost’ Migrant Children wrote,

On August 30, 2024, Donald Trump claimed at a campaign rally that the Biden-Harris administration had lost track of 325,000 unaccompanied migrant children who had crossed the border illegally. It appears Trump’s statement was based roughly on numbers cited in an August 19, 2024, report prepared by the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security.

Concerns over the number of missing migrant children was first widely published in early 2023 by both the New York Times and the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs. Those reports stated that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) lost contact with 85,000 migrant children in the first two years of the Biden-Harris administration after releasing the children to adult “sponsors”.

Based on these 2023 reports, the Center for Immigration Studies submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to HHS to obtain “The zip code for each sponsor associated with each unaccompanied alien child (UAC) that the agency could not reach after its ‘safety and wellbeing call’, since January 1, 2021.” The Center’s request was designed to obtain the last known zip code of each missing child and, in turn, would also provide an updated count of missing children since the most recently reported number in early 2023. The Center’s FOIA request specifically stated its underlying purpose:

the requested records will provide the public, including law and policy makers, with the information to know whether there are any themes and trends regarding the frequency and geographic locations of the more than 85,000 “missing” UAC. Furthermore, by providing the zip codes of the last known location of the “missing” UAC, the public, including law and policy makers, can identify which communities have been most affected which could result in better resource management, as well as more direct and localized policy changes and oversight.

On April 10, 2024, HHS produced a spreadsheet that it claimed satisfied the Center’s FOIA request. However, instead of the spreadsheet containing at least 85,000 zip codes, reflecting the zip code “associated with each [UAC] that the agency could not reach after its ‘safety and wellbeing call,’” the spreadsheet only included 8,650 zip codes (each distinct), with each zip code reflecting anywhere from one to thousands of missing UACs, making it impossible to identify any “trends regarding the frequency and geographic locations” of the missing UAC, and the total number thereof.

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©2024 Beverly Newman, Ed. D. All rights reserved.