The presidents of two commissions of the Mexican Episcopal Conference issued a statement against human trafficking on July 30, the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
Bishops Eugenio Andrés Lira Rugarcía and José Hirais Acosta Beltrán warned that “foreign nationals and members of rural, indigenous, and Afro-descendant communities are particularly easy prey for trafficking networks due to their economic vulnerability, immigration status, and the xenophobia, fear of the poor, and racism that persist in our societies, as well as a lack of state protection.”
“In this way, they become victims of criminal groups that traffic in human beings and organs; that subjugate them and force them to commit illicit acts for drug cartels; that enslave them through prostitution and servile domestic labor; and that tyrannize them in agricultural fields, tourist areas, and the maquiladora and construction industries, in Mexico, the United States, and Canada alike,” the prelates added.