TAMPA – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Tampa partnered with Clear Channel Outdoor on a Tampa Bay area human trafficking awareness outreach campaign using billboards across the region.

“Everyone has a role in combatting human trafficking and we hope this billboard campaign will encourage the public to report suspicious activity,” said HSI Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Cochran. “Awareness and outreach are two of the most important tools to identify victims of human trafficking.”

This outreach campaign was part of January’s Human Trafficking Awareness Month and began in 2019. More information on human trafficking is available at https://www.ice.gov/features/human-trafficking.

HSI employs a victim-centered approach, where equal value is placed on the identification and stabilization of victims, as well as the investigation and prosecution of traffickers.

Human trafficking victims have been found in communities nationwide in the agriculture, hospitality, restaurant, domestic work and other industries, as well as in prostitution that is facilitated online, on the street, or in businesses fronting for prostitution such as massage parlors. Overseas forced labor can be used to produce the consumer goods that are in our homes and workplaces. These victims are men, women and children of all ages and can include U.S. citizens and foreign nationals. Many of them thought they had found a good paying job or a better life, only to have their hopes dashed and work compelled.

If you notice suspicious activity in your community, call the ICE Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or report tips online.