New NC labor site helps hospitality sector comply with trafficking law

The North Carolina Department of Labor recently launched a new human trafficking website aimed at bringing awareness to support the implementation of human trafficking prevention laws in the lodging and vacation rental industries.

“The lodging and hospitality industries are a key place where human trafficking can occur, as victims are moved along our roads and highways to wherever it is that they’re going to be trafficked to,” Labor Commissioner Luke Farley told Council of State members at their meeting Tuesday.

As required by a law passed by the General Assembly, beginning on July 1, hotels, motels, and vacation rental property managers will be required to ensure that certain staff, including housekeeping, maintenance, and check-in personnel, receive biannual training on how to recognize and report the signs of human trafficking. Employers must also establish clear reporting procedures and maintain compliance records.

The website has free training resources, reporting templates, downloadable signage, and a Frequently Asked Questions page.

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“It’s all there at no cost to businesses, and with the focus on preventing exploitation, this initiative reflects what I believe government should do, which is best protect people and promote accountability without increasing burdens on small businesses and without unnecessary red tape,” Farley added. “This training regime is a common-sense approach, and I’m proud to partner with the industry that helped bring it to life.”

According to the North Carolina Department of Administration, North Carolina is among the most affected states. Major interstate highways, a large and transient military population, numerous rural agricultural areas with a high demand for cheap labor, and an increasing number of gangs all contribute to making the state a hotbed for human trafficking. 

The National Human Trafficking Hotline reported 235 cases in North Carolina in 2023.

As was mentioned, the increase in gang activity throughout the state has seen a rise in human trafficking.

In February, a suspected member of the dangerous Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang was arrested in Raleigh by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other officials.

Twenty-four-year-old Venezuelan national Ricardo Padillia-Granadillo was arrested at a home in Raleigh where a handgun, ammunition, and ten other illegal Venezuelan migrants were discovered.

His arrest is among a crackdown on the violent gang across the country, including the indictment of eight members accused of multiple federal crimes, including sex trafficking, in Tennessee.

Eleazer Kasshoggi Mujica-Rojas, also known as La Fresa, another Tren de Aragua gang member, was arrested in Charlotte on Sept. 1. He is an alleged member of the gang and was wanted in Texas.

Authorities alleged that he is associated with crimes such as homicide, kidnapping, terrorism, human trafficking, and drug trafficking carried out by the gang in the US.

The Greater Charlotte area is not immune to the problems of human trafficking.

The Mecklenburg 2023 Human Trafficking Minors Report offers a glimpse into the problem. From 2011 to 2023, for example, there was a 62% increase in persons referred to US attorneys for human trafficking. In 2020, only 53% of the human trafficking cases were confirmed. In 2022, more than 80% had been, showing encouraging promise. Sixty-four percent of the victims were 15 years old or younger. Ninety-eight percent of human trafficking victims in the Queen City from 2020-2022 were female.

Also, Robin Applewhite of Cumberland County faced a prison sentence of 240 to 312 years in prison after a conviction in 2019 of charges including 12 counts of human trafficking involving four women. The court record showed Applewhite and his wife used heroin to entice the women into prostitution.

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