Out of all the evils in our world today, human trafficking stands among the vilest. As a father, I cannot fathom how degraded one’s mind must become to exploit another human being — especially a child — created in the image of God. And yet, even as we make incredible advancements in technology and innovation, we see more men, women, and children being preyed upon, exploited, and trafficked around our country and across the globe.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) put it best: “More than 150 years after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, slavery is illegal almost everywhere. But it is still not abolished – not even here, in the land of the free. On the contrary, there is a cancer of violence, a modern-day slavery growing in America by the day, in the very places where we live and work. It’s called human trafficking.” We would do well to take these words to heart — and resolve at every level of government and civil society to eradicate this evil wherever it exists.
Human trafficking affects hundreds of thousands of people in our country, not to mention the world around us, where almost 30 million individuals are victimized. According to the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, approximately 12,000 cases were reported in 2024 within the United States, involving almost 22,000 victims.
Sadly, these cases are only a glimpse into the darkness. It’s believed there are hundreds of thousands more who remain entrapped in some form of trafficking — most for sex, others for forced labor. Trafficking can take place anywhere — on our streets, in homes, hotels, businesses, and increasingly, online. While unsuspecting families just want to live their lives in peace and experience the American dream for themselves and future generations, traffickers are lurking around every physical and digital corner, looking to harm and exploit the innocent, regardless of age or background.
Illegal immigration has also been a substantial contributor to the trafficking crisis. Particularly, during the Biden-Harris-Mayorkas administration, millions were smuggled across the border and transported into the heartland of our nation – many of them children. Tragically, a significant number became victims of trafficking, either inside the U.S. or across the border, exploited through the very loopholes and weak enforcement that emboldened these criminal networks. This trafficking made illegal immigration a crisis of grave humanitarian proportions. Thanks to President Donald Trump and the members of his administration’s decisive enforcement of federal immigration laws, illegal crossings have dropped significantly, reducing opportunities for traffickers to operate. Much more work must be done to confront this evil head-on.
Protecting the innocent and vulnerable must always be a top priority for public servants. That’s why, as Arizona’s Senate President, I created the Human and Sex Trafficking Task Force — bringing together partners from across the state, including law enforcement, prosecutors, advocates, and survivors. This task force continues Arizona’s standing as one of the states leading the charge in our union to proactively safeguard citizens from what would be a tragic fate at the hands of deranged individuals. The information we’ve gathered is already informing future legislative priorities to help dismantle the systems and behaviors that allow trafficking to persist.
In addition, Arizona recently took a bold step by passing Proposition 313, referred to the 2024 General Election Ballot by the legislature under my leadership. This proposition mandates life imprisonment without parole for anyone convicted of child sex trafficking. Part of the allure of trafficking to the perpetrators is often the light sentences that they may receive for their despicable actions in various jurisdictions around the country. In Arizona, we’ve drawn a clear line: there is no “second chance” for anyone who traffics a child. Prop 313 was wildly popular with voters at the ballot box, overwhelmingly passing with over 64% of the vote.
WHITE HOUSE TOUTS TRACKING DOWN MORE THAN 10,000 UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN WHO CROSSED BORDER
These efforts — and more to come — reflect Arizona’s unwavering commitment to ending human trafficking in our state and country. Stopping human trafficking should be a bipartisan issue that transcends the political divide that plagues our national unity. It’s not a right versus left issue, but a right versus wrong one.
All government officials in every American jurisdiction should ensure law enforcement and prosecutors have every tool at their disposal to hold human and sex traffickers accountable under the force of the law. I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead on this issue, and I remain committed to doing everything in my power to stop this evil in its tracks. I pray that our nation continues to awaken to the reality of human trafficking, and we unite to abolish modern-day slavery for good.
Warren Petersen is the president of the Arizona Senate.
