The Salvation Army’s Fight to End Trafficking (SAFE-T) program was recently invited to present on labor trafficking at the Consulate of Mexico in Omaha, Neb., for its eleventh annual Labor Rights Week. Bilingual SAFE-T specialist Taylor Hughes spoke at the opening ceremony about labor trafficking in Omaha and greater Nebraska and Iowa.
Taylor and SAFE-T Director Jane Thorson joined other trafficking and labor experts from Nebraska Appleseed, the U.S. Department of Labor, Heartland Workers Center, Catholic Charities, the Immigrant Legal Center and the Office of Latin American Studies at the University of Nebraska Omaha.
Many attendees were Mexican immigrants waiting at the Consulate to meet with an official about their visa or passport status or other immigration issues. SAFE-T offered critical information about how to get help if they or someone they know needs services. SAFE-T’s mission is to help survivors of all forms of trafficking build their lives in a way that is empowering and meaningful by providing victim-centered services that address the continuum of needs from crisis stabilization to comprehensive case management.
“Immigrants are a particularly vulnerable population, and to be able to connect with them where they are in a nonthreatening way is a great asset,” said Jane. Taylor is visiting the Mexican Consulate monthly to continue to connect with immigrants, establish relationships and provide information and resources in a safe context.
Pictured from left: Tania Sonia Flores Hernandez, Protection Office, Consulate of Mexico in
Omaha; Viridiana Miranda, Documentation Department, Consulate of Mexico in Omaha;
Andrea Rasmussen, U.S. Department of Labor; Taylor Hughes, SAFE-T specialist; Jane
Thorson, SAFE-T director; Cesar Garcia, Nebraska Appleseed; Cristian Dona, director of the
Office of Latin American Studies at the University of Nebraska Omaha
