MIAMI, Fla. (CBS12) — As hundreds of thousands of international soccer fans flood into South Florida for the FIFA World Cup, state leaders and law enforcement are executing a massive, unified defense against what officials call an “ugly side” of major sporting events: human trafficking.
At a joint press conference held Tuesday at the Florida International University (FIU) Graham Center, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, alongside federal, state, and local leaders, laid out an aggressive strategy designed to turn everyday citizens, rideshare drivers, and hotel staff into a frontline defense network.
“Good and evil is always going to be out there, but we’ve got to stay one step ahead of it,” Uthmeier said, highlighting that Florida currently ranks third in the nation for human trafficking hotline calls.
He issued a stern warning to potential criminals:
If you’re out there and you want to do wrong, we’re coming for you”.
To prevent an expected spike in exploitation, the FBI Miami division is executing coordinated, proactive stings alongside the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the Broward Sheriff’s Office, and the Miami Beach Police Department.
Currently, Uthmeier said the FBI is tracking more than 1,000 active trafficking cases across the country.
The teeth of this localized crackdown were laid bare by Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and Homestead Police Chief Mario Knapp, who detailed a recent three-day undercover operation that resulted in 13 arrests and 178 criminal charges.
The operation specifically caught buyers attempting to purchase children as young as 13, 14, and 15 years old.
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Chief Knapp revealed that his department has quadrupled its detective presence on the State Attorney’s task force, framing it as a “force multiplier for us”.
“The problem with human trafficking is that victims don’t recognize it in their own story until after they’re out of it,” Chief Knapp noted, emphasizing that modern exploitation preys heavily on those in “terrible life situations”.
Recognizing that law enforcement cannot police every square inch of a region greeting up to a million World Cup visitors, the South Florida business community has stepped up.
Starbucks announced a $1 million corporate donation to the state’s alliance to combat human trafficking.
Simultaneously, Uber has deployed educational materials to its South Florida driver network, as all new drivers since 2025 receive mandatory training to identify signs of exploitation.
FIU President Jeanette Nuñez reiterated that the university’s Global Forensic and Justice Center is delivering specialized training in victim identification and evidence collection to law enforcement and military personnel.
“Everyone has a role to play in preventing and combating human trafficking,” Nuñez said.
Officials closed the briefing with a direct challenge to parents and citizens to report any suspicious activity immediately, noting that “awareness saves lives”.
How to Report Suspicious Activity:
Local South Florida Hotline: 305-FIX-STOP (305-349-7867) National Federal Line: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324)