'No Trafficking Zone': Houston leaders launch anti-trafficking campaign, release most-wanted list
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- As Houston prepares to welcome visitors for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, city leaders want everyone to know Houston is a "no trafficking zone."
The city will be launching billboards, stressing that trafficking is a felony.
During a news conference last week, a survivor of sex trafficking said major international events like the World Cup attract traffickers looking to exploit large crowds.
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"During the 2017 Super Bowl, I was being trafficked at and around NRG Park. I know what it feels like to be hidden in plain sight among thousands of people and yet remain unseen and unheard," she said. "I do not stand before you as a victim of that story. I stand before you as proof that overcoming is possible. Healing is possible, and that when communities come together, lives can be and are changed."
City leaders said law enforcement will be looking out for suspicious behavior at these events. They said people who work in hotels, transportation, and health care are also being trained to recognize the signs of human trafficking and report it.
Houston police also unveiled a top 5 wanted fugitives list and asked anyone with information to speak up.
