Thank you for an outstanding article, full of information.

Somehow "human trafficking" sounds too benign for me. Why not call it by its true action: slavery trafficking. Better still, just plain slavery. Brutal, human ugliness should never be given a catch phrase.

Very good artical.

Sue, you've written a fine piece, and thank you very much for providing links to multiple law enforcement and private organizations that can aid with this serious problem.

I want to clarify something that you wrote in your 10th paragraph:

"Hotels will unknowingly employ trafficked maids and service workers through contracted businesses"

_None_ of these hotels (or other businesses that are plagued by this problem) do this 'unknowingly.'

They may deliberately choose not to demand the documentation from their contractors so as to claim ignorance, but there is no doubt that if they wanted to, they could very easily require full documentation and verification from their subcontractors.

Note that many companies will contract with a staffing agency who will then subcontract with individual recruiters who will then go out and coerce unwilling workers for whom they can falsify paperwork in order to get them to the recruiter.

The recruiter then is the only one who has to certify the paperwork. The recruiter then represents to the staffing agency that all of his recruits are legally and morally able to work.

The staffing agency deliberately doesn't perform any investigations, taking the recruiter at their word, so that they can then innocently claim to the hiring hotel or other business that all of their workers have the proper paperwork.

No one in this chain has any incentive to do the right thing.

The hotel chain's headquarters and CEO, based in some remote city couldn't care less. The hotel manager of the individual hotel chooses to remain deliberately ignorant. The staffing agency's business model is built on not wanting to know. And the recruiter is a predator who needs a constant supply of coercable individuals living in precarious legal situations.

We could completely clamp down on the hiring of undocumented workers and that would help fight this type of exploitation. The economic costs would be immense. For as long as the U.S. has existed, we have relied on a cheap labor to fulfill jobs that "citizens" don't appear to want to do. If we are cut off from that pool of labor, then the cost of services would skyrocket. We're talking double-digit inflation.

Some people rail against the "illegals" stealing our jobs, but the reality is far different.

The exploitation problem is both serious and sad, but we should tread carefully on how to prevent it...

I own a property in Millbrae, which has had the same tenant for 20+ years. In 2015, the property next door was sold. In October 2015 my tenant along with other long time residents began seeing men coming and leaving this property in large numbers (example: 5 men withing an hour). This was occurring 24 hours a day seven days a week. I called the Police/Sheriff office in Millbrae (along with many others in the neighborhood. This was also reported to Jackie Spiers Office along with vehicle license plate numbers. Since October and many subsequent calls to Millbrae Police/Sheriff, nothing has been done and the problem has only gotten worse. My tenant has moved out in fear. I do not know what illegal activities are taking place but suspect human traffic/prostitution. I cannot rent this property out in good conscience due to this activity.