Anti-trafficking activist exposes how smugglers use ‘slave book’ to control migrants

An anti-sex trafficking activist who raises the alarm about the smuggling and trafficking of women and children into the United States through southern border says the alleged registry of victims shows how calculating smuggling groups are towards victims of human trafficking.

Jaco Booyens, a filmmaker and anti-trafficking activist, spoke to Fox News Digital about a document he said he found among a group of migrants, mostly women and children, whom his team followed from the Darien Gap through Mexico and into the United States , where they were met by the Texas Border Patrol.

When some of the men in the group escaped, the logbook was thrown out and picked up by his crew, he said.

RESIDENTS OF A SMALL Ohio VILLAGE EXPRESS THEIR MOST CONCERNED AFTER COMMUNITY WELCOME TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

“It’s essentially a slave book,” he says.

He said the book was typical for smugglers, listing the names of children being smuggled across the border and the extent of their debt.

“That’s how they work. It’s about $8,500. That’s the amount. And then whatever part they can pay. Now some families here pay $50,” he said, adding that they would then owe the rest at a high interest rate. gangs.

He said the discovery showed the lack of human element in what the smugglers were dealing with.

“Never has it been so brazen, when you read this and translate, these are numbers on a page. There is a complete lack of humanity in this document,” he said.

“When you read a document that lists children’s names and their ages and you start to see monetary value next to them, you know this is the reality that we live in, but the American public does not understand how human lives are commodified.” – he said.

Booyens emphasized that migrants brought in are not abandoned by the cartels, but are tracked and forced to pay back the money they are owed, whether through prostitution or other forms of labor. If they do not register, they or their family members in their home country may be at risk of violence.

“Traders know where they are. They have an account and they register. They check in just like you do with a parole officer because they fear for the lives of their family back home and they are paying off the debt. They have a debt to pay, so from that point of view the system is very organized,” he said.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

“It’s easy to just pick up a book of names and say, ‘Hey, this guy has X amount of kids in the book. And he’s going to collect them,” he said.

Smuggling has increased due to the crisis on the southern border. The Biden administration is targeting transnational organizations who bring in migrants, often working with Mexico to combat smuggling. But critics said they were spurring activity with “open borders” policies.

Speaking about what can be done to stop smuggling, Booyens noted the “vicious” cycle of demand for children from Americans. But he said U.S. laws must also be followed to stop incentives for migrants.

“We just need to start by letting the law be the law,” he said. “We have an immigration law, although it needs reform. Yes, but we have a law, and it was abandoned.”

Booyens spoke just a few days before presidential electionswhere border security and immigration reform were top issues for voters.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Polls show former President Donald Trump with a significant lead over Vice President Kamala Harris on the issue, with both candidates squabbling over who is best suited to secure the border.

Fox News’ Emma Woodhead contributed to this report.