U.S. Immigration and Human Traffifficking Overlap

Here, Pedron and da Cruz examine the current overlap between the US immigration system and human trafficking, specifically focusing on how these disjointed policy areas may result in negative outcomes for both immigrants and victims of trafficking (VoT). It shall argue that the US government must reconcile these two interconnected policy areas in order to adequately protect migrant VoTs. The aim of this study is to demonstrate how an express focus on anti-immigration can directly impact the identification and experiences of trafficked victims by analyzing the ways that the victim-protection aspects of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 is hindered by temporary work visa programs that permit greater exploitation of foreign nationals, state-level variance of immigration policies and enforcement strategies, and anti-immigration objectives that arc, in part, fueled by prevailing restrictionist sentiment across the country.