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05-27-2006, 10:20 AM #1
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Mexican Immigrant Hookers in Clearwater/human smugglers
Clearwater Police Seek Grant To Combat Human Trafficking
By STEPHEN THOMPSON spthompson@tampatrib.com
Published: May 27, 2006
CLEARWATER - After years of welcoming Mexican immigrants, often overlooking their legal status, the city now is seeing signs of a dark side - human trafficking.
Police raided a prostitution house this month where they thought women possibly were being held against their will to service Hispanic men, according to court documents made public this week.
There have been other signs, police said, including reports of "coyotes," or human smugglers, operating in Clearwater, and of MS 13, a notoriously violent Hispanic gang.
The police department is so concerned that it filed a federal grant application in April for about $500,000 - half the cost to help set up a task force on human trafficking.
"I believe we are seeing just a fraction of what's actually out there," Deputy Chief Dewey Williams said.
Human trafficking usually involves brothels where women are brought in by force. They typically are in rural migrant-worker communities such as those in Hillsborough, Polk and Lee counties.
In Clearwater, it is happening in a metropolitan tourism area where much of the Mexican population works in motels, hotels and restaurants.
The 2000 U.S. census found that Hispanics made up 9 percent of the city's population - about 10,000 people, although city officials estimate it is closer to 15,000.
The city has tried to engage its Mexican population, many of whom come from the rural state of Hidalgo.
Police have hired bilingual officers, and the city set up a Hispanic outreach center. Police have not been concerned with the immigration status of the Mexicans.
However, there have been indications police would be dealing with more than occasional domestic disputes.
In 2004, police heard of two Mexican prostitution houses operating in the city, but they shut down as police began to investigate, according to the city's grant application.
In 2004 and 2005, the Haven Spouse Abuse Shelter took in seven women thought to be human trafficking victims, the application says, though not all were Mexican.
A Malaysian woman who came to the country as a mail-order bride, only to be abused by her new husband, sought shelter there. And a Chilean woman last year went to the outreach center, complaining she had been brought to United States as a housekeeper but was not paid.
"In the last two years, it became clear this is a problem we're going to have to deal with seriously," Williams said.
Last week, police raided another suspected prostitution house and made arrests, Williams said. He declined to give specifics.
The affidavit for the search warrant states that police, with agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, had the house on Camellia Drive under surveillance last year.
A high number of Hispanic men were visiting the home, where they were paying $25 to have sex with a Colombian woman, the affidavit states.
This year, police have been told a van dropped off women at the address, and a confidential source told investigators he paid $25 to have sex with a Mexican woman there, the affidavit states.
Human trafficking victims often are unwilling to cooperate because they usually do not have legitimate paperwork to stay in the country, Williams said.
Half of the $1 million for the city's task force would be for victims, Williams said. The women will need temporary visas for a year or more until suspects are brought to trial, Williams said.
"If they go back to Mexico [before then], the whole criminal case goes out the window," Williams said.
Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 823-3303.
Find this article at:
http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGB2ZR4FPNE.html
TBO.com is Tampa Bay Online 2006 Media General, Inc. All rights reserved Member agreement and privacy statementJoin our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)
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05-27-2006, 10:51 AM #2
slaves
yep, one of the local channels did a piece on Sex Slaves, here, maybe 2 yrs. ago. I'll see if I can find it. Oh yes, just good ol' FAMILY VALUES.
TIME'S UP!
**********
Why should <u>only</u> AMERICAN CITIZENS and LEGAL immigrants, have to obey the law?!
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05-27-2006, 11:05 AM #3
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- North Carolina
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CLEARWATER - After years of welcoming Mexican immigrants, often overlooking their legal status, the city now is seeing signs of a dark side - human trafficking.Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)
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05-27-2006, 05:52 PM #4
Another by-product of the illegals - sexually transmitted disease.
"Senator, you don't mind if I post this to a website, do you?"
What part of "We don't owe our jobs to India" are you unable to understand, Senator?
GALLUP POLL: Immigration the most pressing issue in America for...
05-03-2024, 11:30 PM in General Discussion