FBI: Human Trafficking Up Among Hispanics In Arkansas

August 14, 2009 7:06 PM CDT in News
By Jon Gambrell
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LITTLE ROCK — The FBI is investigating more human trafficking cases involving Latin American immigrants brought to Arkansas for prostitution or as modern-day indentured workers chained to debts they can't pay off, a head special agent said Friday.

Thomas Browne, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Little Rock field office, said the number of human trafficking cases rose steadily in recent years as Arkansas had one of the nation's fastest growing Hispanic populations. However, Browne said only two of his 80 agents spread through the state handle those cases, as the bureau juggles the demands of investigating potential terrorism suspects and halting so-called "lone wolf" killers.

"It's an issue of education and awareness and trust in the community in terms of people who are in these particular situations who are afraid to come to law enforcement," Browne said in an interview with The Associated Press. "They might think, 'OK, if I go to law enforcement, I'm going to be booted out of the country.'"

Browne declined to offer any specifics about numbers of human trafficking cases in Arkansas, where the U.S. Census Bureau estimates about 160,000 Hispanic people now live. Other studies suggest about half of the state's immigrant populations lives in the country illegally, meaning many fear going to the authorities and being discovered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

FBI agents have options to help illegal immigrants with the citizenship status when they come forward, Browne said.

The number of human trafficking cases has increased, often involving men or women forced into prostitution once they come across the border, Browne said. However, trafficking can involve other schemes.

"It can be more sublime, that they're just trying to work their way out of a situation where they're migrant farmer workers or in some other industry," the special agent said. "They're indebted to the point they can never get out to whomever helped them into the country."

In Northwest Arkansas, police agents have warned cross-border Hispanic gangs such as Mara Salvatruchas, also known as MS-13, might be infiltrating the community. However, Browne said the FBI hadn't seen a "real significant trend" in the growth of Hispanic gang activity in the state.

Browne and other FBI agents later spoke with Hispanic leaders as part of a seminar put on by the Mexican consulate in Little Rock. Consul Andres Chao said he welcomed the FBI's outreach and acknowledged more needed to be done to help the growing number of recent immigrants understand they could come to police and federal agents for help.

"These changes have not come without friction," Chao said.

http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2009/ ... ccrime.txt