The heartbreaking images of minors at the southern border — alone and clutching nothing but a piece of paper — have become tragically familiar. According to Border Patrol data, since President Biden took office in 2021, nearly 540,000 unaccompanied children have been apprehended at the southern border. Many of these children Falling prey to sex traffickersThey face unimaginable conditions and exploitation.
Fox News recently spoke with a 20-year-old sex trafficking survivor, whose identity we agreed to conceal for his safety. He still lives in fear that his kidnappers will find him. Smuggled from South America to Mexico and then across the border, he was finally rescued when he was 18 and brought to Bob's House of Hope.
Bob's House of Hope is the nation's first safe house specifically for male sex trafficking survivors. The victim recounted horrific details of his experience: being trafficked six to eight times a day, beaten and threatened with death if he dared speak out.
“I saw good people die,” he said.
A male immigrant survivor of sex trafficking speaks with Fox News. (Fox News)
Bob Williams, founder of Safe House, was inspired to create this shelter after his own experiences.
“They feel like this only happens to girls and women,” Williams said. “And that's the problem. That's the stigma that we have to change. The reality is that we believe that up to 50% of victims of human trafficking are boys and men.”
Bob's House of Hope welcomes US citizens and immigrants alike. He works with law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.
“As a survivor, I said we would take anyone because these migrant children are protected under federal sex trafficking law,” Williams explained.
Shockingly, many of the victims at Bob's House of Hope were trafficked by their own families, and were never seen as anything more than dollar signs.
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“Most of these children are trafficked by someone they know, whether it's an uncle, a neighbor, or someone else,” Williams noted.
Williams describes a disturbing cycle: many migrants are trafficked to work during the day and then forced to work Sex trafficking At night.
A common question he says he hears is: “Why can't the boys run away?” He explains that not only are they threatened with violence, but they are also controlled through addiction, specifically fentanyl.
Nearly $4 million worth of fentanyl seized by LAPD lies on a table. Bob Williams said human traffickers intentionally foster fentanyl addiction in their victims, and then use it as another means of controlling them. (LAPD)
“The fentanyl problem is so serious that they are connecting these young people to drugs,” he said. “This, coupled with the fear of threats against their families, is overwhelming.”
A recent report by the Office of the Inspector General revealed this ICE lost track Tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors in just the past few years. Williams has no doubt that many of these children have been trafficked.
“We know that many of these children were sold to gangs or human trafficking groups by their families,” he added. “Predators prey on vulnerable children. We had a case where a young man was trying to reunite with his family in Florida, and was arrested by a gang under the guise of offering a trip to Miami. But that trip never materialized.”
The mission of Bob's House of Hope is to help heal the trauma these young people have experienced. The program lasts four years and offers housing, a safe space for therapy, animals, and education.
Bob Williams founded Bob's House of Hope to help male victims of sex trafficking. (Fox News)
After completion, the goal is to move into independent living, equipped with a car, a job, and the opportunity to pursue college.
Landon Dixon, chief operating officer of Bob's House of Hope and a psychotherapist, highlights the challenges These young immigrants face.
“From birth, they were often rejected by their parents and grandparents, and often sold for money to be brought to the United States for further abuse,” Dixon explained. “They arrive here confused, don’t speak the language, and struggle to navigate our systems, which makes them incredibly vulnerable.”
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The survivor we spoke to expressed gratitude for the sense of family and comfort he found in the safe house, and his hope for a better life.
“All I can say is do not lose hope, do not give up. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
Side by side, Williams believes Tighten border securityThere should be tougher penalties for traffickers and complicit family members, as well as increased funding for programs like his that support victims.
