I'm gonna add to this as an undocumented sex worker.

"Trafficking victims" is synonymous with undocumented immigrant & sex worker.

It obscures reality & creates a binary btwn citizen sex workers & "trafficked" foreigners

Sex work decrim doesn't help undocumented immigrants. https://twitter.com/graceyswer/status/1274854492643774464

A21 runs trafficking hotlines in 3 countries. Usually clients call to report undocumented sex workers.

They're reported as "trafficking victims".

They send the feds/police, arrest them & give them the "choice" of being institutionalized or deported.

https://twitter.com/themayamorena/status/1258505623819313152

A very poplar fiction is that "trafficking victims" [undocumented sex workers] don't trust law enforcement & social services because "traffickers" are lying & tricking us.

This talking point is from police, border agents, ICE, prosecutors, & non profits that work with them

They don't deserve to be trusted. They target us, lie to us, deny us rights & prosecute/oppress us

Social services often collects data to be used against us without our knowledge.

You need to understand immigration policy to understand the trafficking discourse.

Even in countries where sex work is legalized or decriminalized, migrants are still arrested, have their money stolen by the state & are deported.

Calling the authorities to report "trafficked" workers of any kind means raids by police or ICE.

Decriminalize immigration

Sex workers often try to gain rights for themselves by separating themselves from the "trafficking/ pimp" label.

The reason why brothel keeping is illegal is because it's considered "trafficking/pimping" for sex workers to be allowed to rent, work, or work together.

The point of criminalizing sex workers working together, having housing, and running their businesses was to force them into destitution.

The former "White slavery/immoral traffic/White slave traffic" Treaty made the racial & xenophobic nature of this much more blunt.

Polaris is against decriminalizing brothel keeping.

They sell the narrative that "traffickers" are in Hispanic communities from Central America & Mexico. & that they're bringing in sex slaves (Hispanic women/girls) into the US.

They train police to racially profile people.

They need to justify why "trafficking victims", in this case undocumented Hispanic women & girls don't trust them.

It's not because they're deporting/imprisoning them or their families.... it's their evil trafficker men. The police will end slavery by locking them up.

Here are some examples of Trafficking:

Giving undocumented immigrants
- a job
- housing, renting to them
- giving them food and water

ICE, Border Patrol, and police eliminate trafficking by eliminating undocumented immigrants.