Human Trafficking in the United States Essay -- Modern-Day Slavery

In 2010, there were almost 30,000 Latino immigrants in Durham, ninety percent of which were undocumented immigrants (Johnson). Initially, most Latino immigrants arrived in the southwest, but since the turn of the century, more have settled in new destinations, such as Durham, and other parts of the Southeast, due to opportunities to work in low-skilled jobs. Pushing forces that lead people to migrate include better life opportunities, poverty as a result of war, political unrest and injustice, and environmental disasters. Businesses provide pulling factors for Latino migration by attracting immigrants in order to attain cheap labor. The sustained demand for cheap labor in the US gives undocumented immigrants an opportunity to work and stay in a country where they face unwelcoming attitudes. Two different situations can be identified when looking at illegal migration: people immigrating because of human trafficking, and people being smuggled unlawfully in order to find a better life. Labor trafficking is often entangled with illegal immigration and smuggling (Barrick). Traffic...