BREAKING: POSSIBLE TRAFFICKING BUST OCCURRING IN HOUSTON

BREAKING: HAPPENING NOW: The FBI in Houston is leading a sweeping court-authorized law enforcement operation that targets numerous alleged criminals in Houston and Harris County, officials confirm.

FBI agents partnered with Houston police officers, Harris County sheriff's deputies, U.S. Marshals Service deputies, and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to conduct the arrests at multiple locations. FBI tactical teams from New Orleans and San Antonio also assisted.

The bust is being conducted with the help of the Houston Police Department, the Harris County Sheriff's Office, U.S. marshals and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Few details about the nature of the operation or its targets are available as of this writing, but FBI officers were seen ushering arrested individuals into a facility on the NRG Park campus on Wednesday morning.

Texas Human Trafficking Statistics

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 50,000 people from various countries are trafficked into Texas every year. And many other victims are U.S. citizens.

While Houston is #1 among cities, Texas as a whole ranks #2 among all 50 states in terms of human trafficking rates (after California), according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

The human trafficking statistics in Texas are really quite staggering.

The Statewide Human Trafficking Mapping Project of Texas estimated that, in 2016, more than 300,000 people were victims of human trafficking in the Lone Star State. Of those, 234,000 were adults subjected to labor trafficking, and 79,000 were minors and youths subjected to sex trafficking.

In fact, about one-fourth of human trafficking in Texas has involved young people forced into prostitution.

U.S. Human Trafficking Statistics & Laws by State

Human trafficking is a crime in every state.

This comprehensive report examines hard facts and data surrounding human trafficking and exploitation.

Find Out More