Heart-wrenching pictures of young individuals arriving at the southern border all by themselves and holding onto just a single piece of paper have sadly become all too common. According to information from border patrol, nearly 540,000 unaccompanied minors have been captured at the southern border since President Biden assumed office in 2021. Many of these minors become victims of sex traffickers, enduring horrific circumstances and exploitation.
In a recent interview with Fox News, a 20-year-old survivor of sex trafficking shared his story. To protect his safety, his identity was kept confidential. Even now, he lives in constant fear of being found by those who once enslaved him. After being trafficked from South America to Mexico and then across the border, he was rescued at 18 and taken to Bob’s House of Hope.
Bob’s House of Hope stands as the initial safe location in the nation specifically designed to assist male survivors of sex trafficking. The survivor recounted chilling details of his ordeal: he was sold for sex six to eight times a day, subjected to beatings, and warned of death if he ever spoke up.
“I saw good people die,” he said.
“Most of these kids are trafficked by somebody they know, whether it’s an uncle, a neighbor, or someone else,” Williams noted.
Williams describes a disturbing cycle: many migrants are labor trafficked during the day and then forced into sex trafficking at night.
A common question he says he hears is, “Why can’t the boys escape?” He explains that not only are they threatened with violence, but they are also controlled through addiction, specifically fentanyl.
Around $4 million worth of fentanyl seized by the LAPD sits on a table. Human traffickers intentionally foster fentanyl addictions in their victims, which they then use as another method to control them, Bob Williams said. (LAPD)
“This fentanyl problem is so serious that they hook these young people on drugs,” he said. “That, combined with the fear of threats against their families, is controlling.”
A recent Office of Inspector General report revealed that ICE lost track of tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors in just the past few years. Williams expresses little doubt that many of these children have been trafficked.
“We know that a lot of these children were sold to gangs or trafficking groups by their families,” he stated. “Predators prey on vulnerable kids. We had a case where a young man was trying to reunite with his family in Florida and was picked up by a gang under the guise of providing a ride to Miami. But that ride never materialized.”
The mission of Bob’s House of Hope is to help heal the trauma these young men have experienced. The program lasts four years, offering housing, a safe space with therapy, animals, and education.
Bob Williams founded Bob’s House of Hope to help male victims of sex trafficking. (Fox News)
After completion, the goal is for them to transition to independent living, equipped with a car, a job, and the opportunity to pursue college.
Landon Dickeson, the chief operating officer of Bob’s House of Hope and a therapist, sheds light on the challenges these young migrants face.
“From birth, they were often rejected by their parents and grandparents, frequently sold for money to be brought to the United States for further abuse,” Dickeson explained. “They arrive here confused, don’t speak the language, and struggle to navigate our systems, making them incredibly vulnerable.”
The survivor we spoke to expressed gratitude for the sense of family and comfort he has found at the safe house, and hope for a better life.
“All I can say is don’t lose hope, don’t give up. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
Williams believes that alongside tightening border security, there must be harsher penalties for traffickers and complicit family members, as well as increased funding for programs like his that support victims.
