Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery involving the illegal trade of people for exploitation or commercial gain.

Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked in countries around the world, including the United States. It is estimated that human trafficking generates many billions of dollars of profit per year, second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable form of transnational crime.

Human trafficking is a hidden crime as victims rarely come forward to seek help because of language barriers, fear of the traffickers, and/or fear of law enforcement.

While there is no evidence that human traffickers are making use of Amtrak trains, we have worked closely with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) to prepare educational materials for all of our employees so that we can be valuable partners in identifying and reporting potential cases.

As a passenger, you can also help identify and report potential cases of human trafficking.

Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery involving the illegal trade of people for exploitation or commercial gain.

Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked in countries around the world, including the United States. It is estimated that human trafficking generates many billions of dollars of profit per year, second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable form of transnational crime.

Human trafficking is a hidden crime as victims rarely come forward to seek help because of language barriers, fear of the traffickers, and/or fear of law enforcement.

While there is no evidence that human traffickers are making use of Amtrak trains, we have worked closely with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) to prepare educational materials for all of our employees so that we can be valuable partners in identifying and reporting potential cases.

As a passenger, you can also help identify and report potential cases of human trafficking.

Human Trafficking is defined as: sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age;

or the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision or obtaining of a person for labor or services through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery.

Human Smuggling is defined as: the importation of people into the United States involving deliberate evasion of immigration laws. This offense includes bringing illegal aliens into the United States as well as the unlawful transportation and harboring of aliens already in the United States.

These are not interchangeable terms:

• Smuggling is transportation-based
• Trafficking is exploitation-based

Traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to lure their victims and force them into labor or commercial sexual exploitation. They look for people who are susceptible for a variety of reasons, including psychological or emotional vulnerability, economic hardship, lack of a social safety net, natural disasters, or political instability. The trauma caused by the traffickers can be so great that many may not identify themselves as victims or ask for help, even in highly public settings.

Recognizing key indicators of human trafficking is the first step in identifying victims and can help save a life. Not all indicators listed are present in every human trafficking situation, and the presence or absence of any of the indicators is not necessarily proof of human trafficking.

The safety of the public as well as the victim is paramount. Do not attempt to confront a suspected trafficker directly or alert a victim to any suspicions. It is up to law enforcement to investigate suspected cases of human trafficking.

If you suspect that a person may be the victim of Human Trafficking, contact the Amtrak Police Department at:
(800) 331-0008, or text to APD11 (27311).

*Messaging and data rates may apply, message frequency varies, Txt HELP for help, Txt STOP to cancel. Txt-a-tip full terms and conditions and a link to Amtrak’s privacy policy are listed below.

• The Amtrak Police Department’s "Txt-a-Tip" initiative provides the public with the capability to directly notify the National communications center (NCC) of any suspected criminal or suspicious activity via SMS text messaging.  This program expands our capacity to receive information and provides for compliance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This law, enacted in 1990, mandates that Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP’s) provide persons with hearing or speech disabilities with direct access to emergency services.
• You can cancel the SMS service at any time. Just text "STOP" to the short code. After you send the SMS message "STOP" to us, we will send you an SMS message to confirm that you have been unsubscribed. After this, you will no longer receive SMS messages from us. If you want to join again, just sign up as you did the first time and we will start sending SMS messages to you again.
• If you are experiencing issues with the messaging program you can reply with the keyword HELP for more assistance, or you can get help directly at 800-331-0008.
• Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
• As always, message and data rates may apply for any messages sent to you from us and to us from you.  Each message sent may result in a varied frequency of messages received.  If you have any questions about your text plan or data plan, it is best to contact your wireless provider.
• Amtrak’s Privacy Policy