During an international event like the FIFA World Cup where people are traveling and celebrating far from home— federal, state, and local law enforcement are ramping up measures to identify and prevent human trafficking.
International travel can boost local economies, but this is also a time when human traffickers are on the lookout for potential victims. This is why the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign says it is harnessing the attention surrounding the World Cup to educate audiences, spark conversations, and empower communities to recognize human trafficking warning signs and take action.
The Blue Campaign is a national public awareness initiative that has been educating the public and police for 16 years on how to recognize and report human trafficking. DHS reports that an estimated 27.6 million people around the world are currently victims of human trafficking, including millions in the United States, yet officials say it remains one of the most misunderstood crimes.
Brandi Bynum is the unit chief for the Blue Campaign and recently spoke with WLRN on how law enforcement prepared for the World Cup and ways for civilians to recognize and report human trafficking.
This story has been edited for brevity and clarity.
WLRN: So what things are law enforcement doing differently during large events like the World Cup?
Bynum: One thing that we did differently in preparation for the FIFA World Cup at the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking is that we partnered with the 16 host cities that would be hosting games. We started actually September of 2025 doing these trainings in preparation with our local field offices in all of the host cities.
That could range from us meeting and training state and local law enforcement to service providers that will potentially be providing services to victims of human trafficking, you know? Working on our awareness efforts or working with healthcare, transportation industries to train and educate them before anybody even came to their city to enjoy the World Cup.
What we've seen there is that if people are trained and educated before they have the influx of visitors, it prepares them better on what to look out for when it comes to identifying those indicators of human trafficking.
What is it about these large events? There's the international factor, but what is it about these large events that maybe there's an increase in human trafficking that you guys are on standby for?
Bynum: I wouldn't say that there's an increase in human trafficking. However, when, in a case like the World Cup, there are millions of people that are visiting the United States since we are hosting 11 cities out of the 16 for this World Cup.
So a city will see more people staying at hotels. They'll see more people going out to eat at restaurants, more people going to their entertainment venues, more people taking transportation. When that happens, that opens the door for traffickers to prey on vulnerable individuals. A part of our campaign during events like these is we want people to stay with their head on the swivel, right?
We have a couple games that are gonna be here in Miami. Is there any special preparation for the World Cup in Florida?
Bynum: So there's a lot of work being done in and around your host city, not just by Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Homeland Security, but also with our interagency partners like the Department of Justice and the Department of Labor and some of your local task force as well. So I think you guys are well equipped to be able to handle the traffic.
As you know, Miami's a vacation destination anyway just for people within the U.S. and internationally. So I think that you guys are in a good spot with the prep that's been going on, not just on the federal level, but also on the state and local level.
What are some of those warning signs? What are some of those things that you're teaching people to look out for?
Bynum: A big one is if someone doesn't have possession of their personal identification. So what traffickers will do is they'll take someone's driver's license or their passport to maintain control over that individual, 'cause you can't travel without your identification. Most adults like you and I, we're gonna have that in our possession.
Physically, someone who may seem disheveled or not appropriately dressed, someone who may show signs of dehydration or somebody who may show signs of weariness and not knowing where they are, someone who may show signs of bruising, also someone who may not show eye contact if you're having a conversation with them or if they seem to be controlled by another person.
In a lot of those cases, maybe that person's being trafficked or maybe they have something else going on, and sometimes people might feel inclined to try to intervene personally. What would you recommend people do if they do come across someone showing signs like that?
Bynum: I encourage people, if they think that they see someone who may be trafficked, if they are not law enforcement, do not intervene.
We have been working with state and local law officials across the US to make sure they're trained and up to speed on the different trends and tactics of human trafficking. So let the law enforcement professionals handle that.
The national human trafficking hotline is 24/7, call anonymously, available in multiple languages. They can call 1-888-373-7888 or they can text info to 233733.
To learn more about the Blue Campaign and how to identify and report human trafficking during global events like the World Cup, visit bluecampaign.gov/WorldCup.
