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Immigration Law: Human Trafficking

Introduction to Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery. It involves controlling a person through force, fraud, or coercion to exploit the victim for forced labor, sexual exploitation, or both. Human trafficking is a crime under both California state law and Federal law.  Immigrants are especially vulnerable to human trafficking, because they are often isolated and without a support network, and because traffickers may threaten to report them to authorities or have them deported if they do not cooperate.

California Law

The California Legislature recently defined human trafficking as:

A) Sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or

B) The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.

This definition follows the Federal definition of severe forms of trafficking in persons.

Find pending legislation on human trafficking here. 

Reporting Human Trafficking

In order to get help for yourself or someone else or to report activity that may be related to human trafficking:


Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free hotline at 1-888-373-7888 OR Text “Help” or “Info” to BeFree (233733)

U.S. Department of Justice Hotline 1-888-428-7581

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Hotline 1-866-347-2423

San Diego Trafficking Emergency Hotline 619-666-2757

San Diego Access and Crisis Hotline 1-888-724-7240

Signs of Human Trafficking

Recognizing key indicators of human trafficking is the first step in identifying victims and can help save a life. Here are some common indicators to help recognize human trafficking:

  • Does the person appear disconnected from family, friends, community organizations, or houses of worship?
  • Has a child stopped attending school?
  • Has the person had a sudden or dramatic change in behavior?
  • Is a juvenile engaged in commercial sex acts?
  • Is the person disoriented or confused, or showing signs of mental or physical abuse?
  • Does the person have bruises in various stages of healing?
  • Is the person fearful, timid, or submissive?
  • Does the person show signs of having been denied food, water, sleep, or medical care?
  • Is the person often in the company of someone to whom he or she defers? Or someone who seems to be in control of the situation, e.g., where they go or who they talk to?
  • Does the person appear to be coached on what to say?
  • Is the person living in unsuitable conditions?
  • Does the person lack personal possessions and appear not to have a stable living situation?
  • Does the person have freedom of movement? Can the person freely leave where they live? Are there unreasonable security measures?

Not all indicators listed above are present in every human trafficking situation, and the presence or absence of any of the indicators is not necessarily proof of human trafficking.

From the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Blue Campaign