LOS ANGELES (KNX) — Los Angeles residents eagerly await the upcoming Super Bowl to be held at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13, L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva warned that the sporting mega-event has been known to attract human traffickers.
“This is … always a lead-up to the Super Bowl, which ends up being one of the major events that draws human traffickers to the region,” the sheriff said Wednesday. “Sadly, millions of people worldwide are forced to endure this form of modern-day slavery.”
Traffickers “prey on the most vulnerable,” Villanueva said, “Those looking for opportunities in the U.S., those that have come without families and unsuspecting people that may be lured online.”
Federal officials have echoed the sheriff’s concerns. “Not only is the Super Bowl an attractive target for terrorists and domestic violent extremists, but it als presents opportunities for human trafficking,” the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement in February of last year, prior to the 2021 Super Bowl game in Tampa.
More than 70 people were reportedly arrested during an investigation into sex trafficking during the 2021 game.
Multiple law enforcement agencies will be out ensuring security for the NFL championship game, with a special eye toward preventing attempts at human trafficking. Villanueva said his department was devoting 300 personnel to working the event, supporting the Inglewood Police Department.
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