Texas Republican gubernatorial candidate Don Huffines has vowed to fight against human trafficking if elected Texas governor.
The Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division recently arrested 35 people suspected of involvement in human trafficking, according to KWTX. The arrests were the result of an operation targeting "individuals seeking to exploit and victimize trafficking victims, as well as to identify and apprehend individuals suspected to be involved in human trafficking by using various websites to solicit sexual acts from minors in the West Texas region."
“Texas is the number one state for human trafficking,” Huffines said. “Criminals in these rings come and go across the border as they please. This must be stopped now, but our officials don’t seem to agree. When I am Governor, I will secure the Texas Border to stop the flow of people, and I will establish a special task force to crack down on human trafficking in the State of Texas.”
As reported in the Houston Republic, the Texas Attorney General's Office estimates there are 234,000 victims of labor trafficking and 79,000 children are victims of sex trafficking at any given time.
"We're just trying to make sure people will know that there's a national human trafficking hotline that you can call, and if you see something that doesn't look right you may be saving someone's life," Texas Secretary of State Ruth Hughs told KIII-TV.
Data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline shows that California, Texas, and Florida are the three states with the highest numbers of reported human trafficking cases.
Elected in 2014, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is currently serving as the 48th governor of Texas. Before being elected governor, Abbott was the longest-serving attorney general of Texas.
Don Huffines is the CEO of Huffines Communities, a Dallas/Fort Worth-based real estate development firm. From 2015 to 2019 Huffines served in the Texas Senate, representing the 16th senate district.
Huffines joins a crowded field, challenging Abbott in the GOP gubernatorial primary alongside former Florida Congressman Allen West and media personality Chad Prather.
Former El Paso City Council member and U.S. Congressman Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke leads the Democratic field for nomination to run for governor. He mounted two unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Senate and the presidency of the United States.