Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media
Houston City Council member Twila Carter speaks at a news conference on June 4, 2026.
Ahead of the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Houston city leaders and advocates unveiled a new anti-human trafficking public awareness campaign.
New billboards are going up around Houston, declaring, “Texas is a No Trafficking Zone,” with a listed penalty of 25-99 years in prison for a first-degree felony conviction. The billboards, provided by Clear Channel, an advertising company, are in both English and Spanish.
“Human trafficking is not a distant problem,” Houston City Council member Twila Carter said during a news conference Thursday. “It is not happening somewhere else to someone else. It is happening in our neighborhoods, our hotels, our businesses, our schools, and increasingly online.”
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Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media
A depiction of a billboard in Houston as part of an anti-human trafficking campaign, unveiled on June 4, 2026.
The campaign is in partnership with No Trafficking Zone, a nonprofit organization advocating against human trafficking, which already partners with the likes of the Houston Police Department, the Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
“What a celebration it is, that Houston is declared a no trafficking zone and that all these leaders came together,” Jacquelyn Aluotto, CEO of No Trafficking Zone, said on Thursday. “They put politics aside … and they put people first and they put public safety first. And this is the kind of leadership that we need.”
Advocates have noted that large events, such as the World Cup or any other major sporting event, increase the prospects of potential human trafficking. Though there are varying reports on whether such largescale events actually result in trafficking, the Houston host committee for the World Cup accounted for such a possibility in its human rights plan.
Airbnb, one of the World Cup’s official supporters, also announced an anti-human trafficking investment of $225,000 to nonprofits across Texas. Some of that money went to United Against Human Trafficking, a Houston-based nonprofit.
“We are very grateful to Airbnb for investing in our mission and standing alongside survivors of human trafficking,” Timeka Walker, CEO of United Against Human Trafficking, said in a news release. “This generous support strengthens our ability to meet people where they are, provide hope and healing, and connect survivors with the resources and opportunities they need to build safe, stable futures. Meaningful change happens through collaboration, and partnerships like this one remind us that when communities come together with compassion and purpose, lives can be transformed.”
Houston will host seven matches during the World Cup, from June 14 through July 4 at NRG Stadium.