Carlos’s Story

Carlos came from a wealthy family in Central America. Despite growing up with an abusive alcoholic father, Carlos managed to succeed in school and graduate from a local university. With his college degree in hand, he secured a great job in his field that paid well.

Tragically, organized crime ran rampant in Carlos’ county. Drug lords exerted tremendous power and Carlos ended up in a dangerous situation involving a cartel. To escape from danger, Carlos sought opportunities in the United States. One day, he got a job offer that sounded incredible, would enable him to live somewhere safer, and would pay him decent money.

Dream Job Turns into a Nightmare

When Carlos arrived in the U.S, he found the job was nothing like he was promised; instead, he worked for a traveling carnival. He received little to no pay; lived in cramped, filthy shelter; and worked excruciatingly long hours. When he announced that he was going to leave, his employers threatened him severely. They said that if he spoke to anyone or tried to escape, they would send people to murder his entire family.

Carlos’ employers became physically and sexually abusive. Eventually, they began forcing him to have sex with others for their own financial gain. Carlos had become a victim of both labor trafficking and sex trafficking.

“Thank you for not judging me. It feels so good to have people I can trust.” – Carlos

Thankfully, a watchful community member reported seeing suspicious treatment of the employees at the carnival and law enforcement intervened. Eventually Carlos was recognized as a human trafficking victim/survivor and was referred to The Dragonfly Home. He was provided safe shelter at a hotel until further accommodations were secured. Carlos also received assistance from an immigration attorney through The Dragonfly Home.