Stearns County cracks down on human trafficking: 8 arrests leads to upcoming court cases

ST. CLOUD — The Stearns County Attorney’s Office is taking several human trafficking cases to court this coming month after the Central Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force busted eight individuals trying to solicit sexual acts between June 25 and June 27.

The next scheduled court appearance for at least one of the cases is on July 19, according to Minnesota court records, with one Stearns County inmate facing a felony charge and seven other individuals facing misdemeanors.

“It's important work because (human trafficking) flies under the radar, so we might not catch it as well if we don't have specialty people (like the task force) looking into it,” St. Cloud Police Chief Jeffrey Oxton said. “It's a really ugly crime when you see it firsthand; it really devastates people's lives.”

Mayo Clinic says human trafficking takes place when people, including children, are threatened or coerced into sexual acts against their will. These metropolitan St. Cloud cases come as Minnesota ranked third in the U.S. for human trafficking in 2015, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, contributing to the $150 billion industry worldwide.

"After drug dealing, human trafficking is tied with the illegal arms industry as the second largest criminal industry in the world today, and it is the fastest growing," the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states.

Stearns County’s latest cases are against solicitors who tried to purchase sexual acts; the task force did not arrest anyone selling victims.

“It's all about money, so we go after the people who are looking to buy sex to let them know we don't do that here,” Oxton said. “You're going to get caught. You're going to get arrested. Hopefully, that suppresses the demand because (there are no sales) without demand. It's just like business.”

Authorities caught eight human trafficking incidents in Stearns County during 2023, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

More: Man in custody for sex with minor Stearns County gets custody of man allegedly sleeping with underage St. Cloud girls

Why is human trafficking in St. Cloud?

Local human trafficking experts — St. Cloud State University Woman and Gender Studies professor Mumbi Mwangi and St. Cloud Technical and Community College Director of Cultural Fluency, Equity and Inclusion Njery Clement — said St. Cloud is positioned in a unique spot to become a human trafficking hub.

“One of the big factors is the interstate, meaning people can be trafficked from other states and through Minnesota to North Dakota,” Mwangi, Ph.D., said. “Oil mining in North Dakota contributed to an increased trafficking because of the connection between people having money, and therefore, attracting sexual things, and most of the time this becomes a target for women.”

Of the eight cases the Stearns County Attorney’s Office is taking to court, more than half come from outside the immediate St. Cloud metropolitan area. With the remaining alleged solicitors’ origin ranging from Maquoketa, Iowa to Elbow Lake, Minnesota, according to criminal complaints filed with the Stearns County District Court. At least one alleged solicitor is from St. Cloud and two are from Sartell.

Mwangi and Clement said vulnerable populations, such as those in poverty, the LGBTQ+ community, runaway youth, socially isolated individuals and those facing housing insecurity are most likely to fall victim to human trafficking.

This is a problem for St. Cloud, which is currently facing a housing crisis due its population increasing by nearly 20,000 during the past 20 years. The city’s 2024 comprehensive housing study states more than 17,000 new housing units are needed in the next 15 years. Clement said St. Cloud’s lack of housing stock might make it difficult for those being trafficked to escape due to a lack of home options.

“If you look at the lack of affordable housing for the youth and (those) going through violent situations … there are not many resources available,” Clement, Ph.D., said. “These are some of the factors that can push (vulnerable populations to become human trafficking victims).”

Mwangi said St. Cloud is less social than the Twin Cities, meaning it can be easier for someone to be socially isolated. She said this makes human trafficking more likely to fly under the radar in St. Cloud, making it an attractive destination for solicitors along I-94, as St. Cloud is roughly an hour north of Minneapolis.

“Saint Cloud is very individualistic, you stay in your house, I stay in my house,” Mwangi said. “We are neighbors, but you don't have much interaction. So somebody can actually live in your neighborhood or just next door to somebody who is being trafficked and may never know.”

To report a suspected trafficking situation in Minnesota, call the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at 1-877-996-6222 or email bca.tips@state.mn.us , or call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, send the text HELP to 233733.

Corey Schmidt covers local government for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at cschmidt@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Stearns County cracks down on human trafficking: 8 arrests leads to upcoming court cases