Florida officials are launching a task force to investigate instances of human trafficking during the FIFA World Cup during matches played in Miami Gardens, State Attorney General James Uthmeier said.
Uthmeier announced on June 16 that federal and local law-enforcement agencies will partner with experts from Florida International University and service providers such as hotels, retailers, venues and ride-share companies to identify and prevent human trafficking.
The United Nations defines human trafficking as a crime involving the exploitation of people for labor, services or sex through the use of force, fraud or coercion. Some have described the crime as modern-day slavery.
“Unfortunately, we are still ranked very high when it comes to top locations for human trafficking, not just in the country, but in the world,” Uthmeier said during a news conference at FlU’s main campus.
“It has to be one team to truly tackle this evil,” Uthmeier said. Miami is a host site for the World Cup, and the second of seven matches took place the same day as the news conference.
Florida ranks third in U.S. for reported human-trafficking cases
Florida ranks third in the U.S. for reported human trafficking cases, trailing the two states with larger populations, California and Texas. Florida’s large number of airports, its miles of coastline and the unusual amount of visitor travel to the state have contributed to that ranking.
Similar safety and outreach efforts have been put in place for major sporting events nationwide, such as at the Super Bowl each year.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said during the news conference that a recent Homestead police investigation resulted in 13 arrests and 178 criminal charges related to human trafficking.
State official said the public will play a critical role in identifying human-trafficking victims and urged anyone with information or suspicions that human trafficking is taking place to report it to the state hotline at 855-FLA-SAFE (352-7233).
Valentina Palm covers immigration and West Palm Beach for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@pbpost.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ValenPalmB.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida task force targets human trafficking at World Cup 2026 games
Reporting by Valentina Palm, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Valentina Palm, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network
