Arizona Fails on Human Trafficking Report Card

Congressman Harry Mitchell will ask federal and local officials today, May 29, what Congress can do to help them crack down on the violent crimes of human and drug smuggling, that plague the state of Arizona.^[1] The Arizona Democrat is hosting a round-table discussion with U.S. Customs and Immigration officials, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard and other authorities who work to combat crimes associated with illegal immigration. Mitchell represents Arizona's Fifth Congressional district, which includes Scottsdale, Tempe and parts of Chandler, Mesa and Phoenix.^[2]

This new concern comes on the heals of a new finding by the Center for Women Policy Issues that shows Arizona as receiving poor grades in a new study examining how U.S. states deal with the international trafficking of women and girls, including for prostitution and forced labor and servitude.^[3]

The Center for Women Policy Issues gave Arizona failing grades when it came to protecting trafficking victims; regulating international marriage brokers (i.e. mail-order brides) and regulating travel agencies that promote or facilitate sexually oriented tourism.^[4] Arizona got a C-plus grade from the policy group for its penalties against illegal trafficking, because the state passed new laws in 2005 making sex trafficking and forced labor trafficking a felony.^[5]

Arizona is a key entry point into the U.S. for Mexican smugglers and traffickers, whose criminal syndicates bring in drugs, illegal immigrants, and in some cases women and girls that will be forced into prostitution or forced labor after they arrive in the U.S.^[6]

Phoenix City Councilwoman Peggy Bilsten and former state attorney general Grant Woods have been pushing a state bill that offers stiffer penalties related to child prostitution.^[7] Bilsten asserts that young girls from the Valley, rural parts of the state and other areas including Mexico are being forced into prostitution and there is demand for younger girls in the illegal sex marketplace.^[8] The measure passed the Arizona Senate but has stalled in the state House of Representatives, because some conservative Arizona House Republicans want to allow prostitution customers to have the defense of saying they did not know of the girl's age.^[9]

Of the major U.S./Mexico border states California and Texas received better grades than Arizona on the trafficking report card but Nevada and New Mexico faired far worse.^[10]

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^[1] AP Newswire, Congressman, immigration authorities to discuss smuggling crackdown, Associated Press Newswire, May 29, 2007, available at LEXIS, News Library, Wire News Services.
^[2] Id.
^[3] Mike Sunnucks, Arizona flunks sex-trafficking survey, The Business Journal of Phoenix, May 24, 2007, available at http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2007/05/21/daily34.html (last visited May 29, 2007).
^[4] Id.
^[5] Id.
^[6] Id.
^[7] Id.
^[8] Id.
^[9] Id.
^[10] State Report Card, Center for Women Policy Issues Website, available at http://www.centerwomenpolicy.org/documents/ReportCardonStateActiontoCombatInternationalTrafficking.pdf (last visited May 29, 2007).