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Trafficking Panic Has Racial Roots
- The early 'white slavery' panic and trafficking laws were deeply racialized and tied to immigration control.
- Modern trafficking discourse inherits those origins and still fuels border‑control politics.
Top‑Down Politics Fueled The Panic
- The late‑1990s trafficking surge was top‑down, driven by alliances among feminists, neo‑conservatives, evangelicals, and political leaders like George W. Bush.
- That coalition reframed prostitution as nonconsensual to win broader political traction.
T‑Visa Tethers Victims To Prosecution
- The Trafficking Victims Protection Act emphasized punishment and offered limited, conditional relief through the T‑visa tied to prosecution.
- Legal 'protections' often require victims to participate in criminal trials and reach few people.