Too many towels were ordered for a hotel room in South San Francisco. A clerk who acted in accordance with their training recognized and reported it. They saved two girls, including one under the age of 18, from human trafficking.
This story, along with a quest for justice, prompted San Mateo County Supervisor Jackie Speier to take action and recruit Ray Mueller, another San Mateo County supervisor, to support her program.
“When I was still in Congress, we had zero tolerance for human trafficking, and we were able to develop a whole protocol and work with our local law enforcement. That somehow has dissipated over the years. I have now created a position within the county on human trafficking. We’re going to develop a whole program for the victims as well,” Speier said.
The problem is both a local and an international crisis. According to a 2024 International Labor Organization (ILO) report, forced labor, which includes trafficking, generates $230 billion worldwide. The century-old organization also found that traffickers and criminals can generate close to $10,000 per victim.
“Forced labor perpetuates cycles of poverty and exploitation and strikes at the heart of human dignity. We now know that the situation has only gotten worse. The international community must urgently come together to take action to end this injustice,” said Gilbert F. Houngbo, the Director-General of ILO.
San Mateo County is doing its part to end this persistent exploitation.
“There’s a concerted effort taking place in our county, in San Francisco County, and in Santa Clara County. We are going to find these individuals and bring them to justice, and we are going to save these people,” Mueller said.
The county must take action now more than ever, recognizing that within the next few months, San Mateo County will have an influx of human trafficking.
Super Bowl 60 was hosted on Feb. 8 at Levi Stadium, just a few miles south in Santa Clara County. Additionally, the FIFA World Cup starts in June. Teams from Qatar, Switzerland, Austria, Jordan, Algeria, Paraguay, and Australia will all be coming to the Bay Area.
San Mateo County is a transportation hub due to the San Francisco International Airport. With these two events going on, millions of people will be traveling, and many temporary jobs will be available.
Trafficking increases due to a spike in demand for temporary work and increased travel. This can include construction, restaurants, food services, and domestic work. Moreover, around significant events such as the Super Bowl, there is a party culture that increases illicit and commercial sex as well.
“They follow the dollars. With big sporting events, there’s a lot of dollars,” said San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
Traffickers take advantage of the big crowds because it makes them harder to track and easier to blend in.
Through communication and mobility, traffickers stay in control. They can take passports, passwords, or access to cell phones and harm victims both physically and mentally.
“If somebody doesn’t have the freedom of movement, freedom of communications, or the financial freedom to have control of their own money, those are definite signs that we look for along with physical abuse, which is the most obvious sign that the public can see,” said Mike Sena, the Executive Director of the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center (NCRIC).
Many of these traffickers have switched from hotels to short-term rentals. They can be right in any neighborhood, operating right under one’s nose.
“We need to make sure that we fully realize it’s an event that is not limited to a football stadium on Sunday afternoon. It includes everywhere from Monterey up into Sonoma counties: parties, events, things in our county, the airport. It’s about being far more observant of what’s coming and going through the airport,” Wagstaffe said.
Different agencies have come together to support the cause against human trafficking, including NCRIC, the FBI, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“The key is, as we did here 10 years ago, when you put enough law enforcement out there in public awareness, it does clamp it down dramatically, but if we didn’t, you could bet it would,” Wagstaffe said.
According to Mueller, these organizations are building the infrastructure to spot patterns earlier and create faster channels of communication.
“The suffering is real. It happens every single day, and people are trapped in that world. We are so lucky to have the resources here in this county. And to me, this is a call to action,” said San Mateo County Executive Mike Callagy.
FIFA is estimated to bring up to $630 million to the Bay Area, along with $300 million in labor income and 4,600 jobs supported across industries.
Separately, Super Bowl 60 generated around $630 million. 5,000 jobs will be supported across industries, and $300 million came from labor.
This combination creates the perfect opportunity for traffickers to slip through the cracks and continue running their operation.
“Our preparation isn’t optional. It’s our responsibility,” Mueller said.
