I was born in the great city of Houston and grew up here. One day, I was out to lunch from work. I stopped at a stop light, turn my head to the left and saw a bunch of prostitutes lined up and down the street off of Bissonnet. I was very surprised. This is not the city that I grew up in.

I did some research and Houston is the worst city in Texas for Human Trafficking. According to an article on the Neal Davis Law Firm, that one contributing factor is the Texas-Mexico border that runs a line of 2,000 miles. Approximately 350 million documented crossings annually. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 50,000 people from various countries are trafficked into Texas every year. Many victims are U.S. citizens. According to Statewide Human Trafficking Mapping Project of Texas, in 2016, more than 300,000 people were victims of human trafficking in the Lone Star State. 234,000 were adults subjected to labor trafficking. There were many minor and youths, too. 79,000 minors and youths were subjected to sex trafficking.

One-fourth of human trafficking in Texas has involved minors forced into prostitution. We need to do something about this. We need to make sure that everyone is feeling safe in Houston and major cities around the world. That children are safe to go outside, walk or ride their bikes to school, and have fun with their friends.