People smuggling is now a more lucrative illicit industry than drug smuggling. Human Traffic is the first general interest book to examine this phenomenon, and the only book that takes a global overview of this criminal activity.
There are more than five million illegal aliens residing in the U.S. alone. They mostly come from Mexico, the Philippines, India, Vietnam and China. But how did they get into the country? And who helped them? Human Traffic is the first book to investigate these questions, and it contains interviews from the individuals and criminal gangs that mastermind the unlawful movement of people across international borders.
Investigative journalist Craig McGill also examines the people who are willing to risk their life savings, and sometimes even their lives, in order to escape poverty by moving to the West. He finds that the smugglers' promises of a new and better life often amount to nothing, and frequently the migrants find themselves in worse circumstances than they were before. Through powerful interviews, the reader learns what it is like to be an illegal immigrant -- the difficulties that the lack of an official identity can bring, the strain of a secret existence and, in all too many cases, the devastation of being sold into sexual and economic slavery.
Human Traffic will appeal to anyone with an interest in immigration matters, as it is a balanced investigation that looks at the issue on a truly global level. With chapters on North America, Europe, Australasia and the Far East, as well as first-person accounts from the smugglers and the smuggled, this book is a timely insight into a growing North American problem.
There are more than five million illegal aliens residing in the U.S. alone. They mostly come from Mexico, the Philippines, India, Vietnam and China. But how did they get into the country? And who helped them? Human Traffic is the first book to investigate these questions, and it contains interviews from the individuals and criminal gangs that mastermind the unlawful movement of people across international borders.
Investigative journalist Craig McGill also examines the people who are willing to risk their life savings, and sometimes even their lives, in order to escape poverty by moving to the West. He finds that the smugglers' promises of a new and better life often amount to nothing, and frequently the migrants find themselves in worse circumstances than they were before. Through powerful interviews, the reader learns what it is like to be an illegal immigrant -- the difficulties that the lack of an official identity can bring, the strain of a secret existence and, in all too many cases, the devastation of being sold into sexual and economic slavery.
Human Traffic will appeal to anyone with an interest in immigration matters, as it is a balanced investigation that looks at the issue on a truly global level. With chapters on North America, Europe, Australasia and the Far East, as well as first-person accounts from the smugglers and the smuggled, this book is a timely insight into a growing North American problem.
