Arizona state Senator Janae Shamp stated that the cartels have created a "network of modern day slavery" at the border. Shamp made the statement in an interview with Federal Newswire on July 15.

"The cartels have completely taken over this operation and successfully established a network of modern-day slavery," said Shamp, State Senator for Arizona.

In Arizona, those in sex trafficking networks are, on average, 14 years old when they are first involved in trafficking operations, according to Shamp. "It's a crisis in every sense of the word," she said.

According to a House Homeland Security press release, cartel-run human smuggling and sex trafficking operations generated $13 billion in 2021 alone. These cartel activities cause violence and death from fentanyl, dangerous conditions in smuggling, and often sexual exploitation, especially of migrant children.

An estimated 57,700 people are trafficked annually, according to Texas Public Policy Foundation. These numbers only account for individuals who are trafficked into the United States from the Southwest border. An estimated 60% of migrant children are either captives of cartels or those involved in human trafficking or child pornography.

Shamp said that to disrupt the profits that allow cartels to continue trafficking, they must be declared foreign terrorist organizations and "penalties must be increased" for criminal convictions.

Janae Shamp has served in the Arizona State Senate since 2022 for Arizona's 29th District, according to her website.