Attorney General Ken Paxton's office has launched a comprehensive initiative to combat human trafficking through a dedicated enforcement unit that has prosecuted dozens of cases involving child exploitation, forced labor, and sex trafficking across Texas. The division has secured significant convictions, including the recent 99-year sentence for Barbara Barrett of Greenville, who was found guilty of Continuous Trafficking of a Child in Hunt County.
The specialized unit has targeted various forms of trafficking, from traditional sex trafficking operations to labor trafficking schemes. In one notable case, the office sued Austin Eco Bilingual School, accusing founder Adriana Rodriguez of labor trafficking at the Spanish immersion preschool. The division also secured a 12-year prison sentence for Joylette Blanton of Sherman for compelling prostitution of a minor and trafficking of a person through a plea agreement with the Grayson County District Attorney's Office.
Texas has emerged as a national leader in anti-trafficking legislation under Paxton's tenure. The state became the first in the nation to make buying sex a felony offense through HB 1540, which Paxton's Human Trafficking Prevention Taskforce helped develop. The omnibus bill creates a separate offense for purchasing sex and elevates the penalty to a state jail felony for buying sex from an adult.
The attorney general's office has also taken on technology platforms that facilitate trafficking. Paxton applauded a Texas Supreme Court ruling that Facebook can be held liable for sex traffickers who use its platform to recruit and prey on children, marking a significant legal precedent for platform accountability.
Beyond state enforcement, Paxton has coordinated with other attorneys general on national trafficking issues. He joined a multistate letter led by Delaware and Mississippi calling on Congress to protect the integrity of the National Human Trafficking Hotline, and participated in efforts to oppose American Law Institute amendments to the Model Penal Code that could benefit sex traffickers.
The Human Trafficking Unit continues active enforcement operations throughout Texas, recently making several arrests in Coryell County and pursuing cases in multiple jurisdictions. The division represents a coordinated approach to addressing what Paxton has characterized as one of the most serious criminal enterprises affecting vulnerable populations in the state.