In March, Montgomery County law enforcement began investigating tips of an alleged human trafficking ring in south Montgomery and north Harris counties. On Nov. 5, search warrants were obtained for four spa and massage locations in Pinehurst and Spring near Tomball, said Tyler Dunman, special crimes bureau chief for the Montgomery County district attorney’s office. As a result, four people were arrested for human trafficking, and eight Chinese female victims were rescued from the establishments that day, he said. “I think obviously there’s a large population in Harris County, and Montgomery County is growing very quickly. So with the growth comes good and bad,” Dunman said. “Some of the bad will include different massage parlors that are storefronts for commercial sex trafficking popping up. Our county has seen an increase in activity, so we’re trying to stamp it out as fast as we can.”

New legislation, tactics

This instance of human trafficking is one of many that have been targeted with the help of House Bill 10, which Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law June 9. The legislation extends the statue of limitations for human trafficking prosecution, provides additional aid for victims and better trains judiciary members to identify victims, said Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, who co-authored the bill. “We’re challenged in Texas in two areas—in employment and sex trafficking,” Thompson said. “Domestic trafficking has been really big for a long period of time. We wanted to take the bite out of trafficking. The hardest part is labor trafficking. That’s the most difficult to crack.” The bipartisan-supported HB 10 is a move toward a statewide coordinated response to combat human trafficking, though much more needs to be done, Thompson said.

“We’re just scratching the surface at this time. The major problem in trying to curtail this thing is the demand. The United States of America stands in position No. 1 for human trafficking.” —Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston

“We’re just scratching the surface at this time,” Thompson said. “The major problem in trying to curtail this thing is the demand. The United States of America stands in position No. 1 for human trafficking.” In another effort to combat human trafficking, a group of local churches, nonprofit groups and law enforcement entities founded the Montgomery County Human Trafficking Coalition earlier this year, Dunman said. The coalition, which meets every other month, aims to form a multidisciplinary approach to battling human trafficking, he said.

Reporting incidents

Cypress-based nonprofit organization Shield Bearer, which operates a Tomball office on the second floor of TOMAGWA HealthCare Ministries, works to counsel human trafficking victims. Since opening in 2006, the organization has served more than 150 women and children who are survivors of human trafficking both domestically and internationally, Executive Director Roy Wooten said. “On the clinical side, there’s a difference between prostitution and human trafficking,” Wooten said. “[Human trafficking is] economically driven by other people. Victims don’t get any of the resources—it’s not their income.” Telltale signs of human trafficking include high volumes of individuals entering and exiting a suspicious business throughout the day and night, increased security at an entrance and a bell available to ring for service at establishments, such as massage parlors or spas, Wooten said. Dunman encourages residents to take notice of suspicious businesses and activity in the area and report tips to local law enforcement. With tips from community members, several local victims have been rescued, Wooten said.