POLITICS: 84 Women Rescued by Authorities in Brothel Bust

(LibertySociety.com) – On October 18, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) and the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance carried out a major operation in Houston, rescuing over 80 women believed to be victims of sex trafficking. According to reports from the National News Desk, the women were found living in appalling conditions within brothels that were disguised as bars and nightclubs.

TABC Chairman Kevin Lilly called the brothels a “house of horrors,” pointing to the severe exploitation the victims endured. He attributed much of the trafficking to cartel involvement, stating, “Their childhood has been stolen from them. No counseling, no treatment, can ever take away the horrors that they’ve experienced.”

Investigators discovered evidence of the extreme abuse the victims faced. Inside these locations, they found soiled mattresses crammed into small, hidden rooms, which Lilly described as deceptively set up to resemble typical bars with dance floors and pool tables but hiding spaces for abuse behind cement doors. Lilly shared the horrific reality these women faced daily, explaining that many of them were subjected to forced sexual encounters as frequently as 30 times a day, starting in the afternoon and continuing until early morning.

As a result of the raid, nine Houston-area bars suspected of human trafficking have been closed. Emphasizing the cartel’s heavy involvement, Lilly argued for immediate action on border security, stating, “We must close our border. An open border is madness. Please take the politics out. We have to act now. We have to end Catch and Release. We have to deal with the cartels. We have to declare them the enemy of our country and take action.”

Lilly outlined the financial burden cartels place on migrant families, who often pay steep fees, up to $25,000 per person, to cross the border—a fee that many cannot afford. Women promised jobs as waitresses frequently find themselves coerced into trafficking networks instead, forced into what Lilly describes as “misery and horror.”

“No one steps across the border without the cartels involved,” he said. “Families come across the border and have to pay $10,000, $20,000, or $25,000 per passenger—money they don’t have. These are poor individuals who may have walked hundreds of miles only to find out they have to pay a toll they can’t afford.”

Dubbed Operation Bad Traffic, the operation led to four arrests on charges related to sex trafficking and provided safety to 84 women who had been caught in these abusive networks.

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