Richard R RamosRichard R. Ramos. Founder of Parents on a Mission,Youth on a Mission, and Latino Coalition for Community Leadership

The Deceptive Trap: How Lina Was Groomed and Sold into Human Trafficking

26 Jul 2026 · 1 min

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In this first‑person survivor testimony, the speaker recounts how she was lured by a vague promise of a job from a woman who later became the antagonist in her story. Trusting the offer, she accepted without hesitation. The recruiter arranged a makeover at a hair salon, giving the speaker a fleeting sense of hope and a feeling that her life was changing. Despite this, she continued heavy heroin use. The narrative hints at her later passage through customs and an eventual, unknown fate, illustrating how grooming, superficial care, and substance dependence can mask the trajectory toward human trafficking.

Chapters

And I didn't know that time that she actually gonna be a villain in my story. She told me that she would be able to find me a job. There was like no really specific, just a job. So she was so good to me. So without much thoughts, I accepted, eager to receive. Of course, of course. Team went to work, they cleaned me up, they did my hair first time in a hair salon, and I was like, oh my gosh, like it was so cool, my life is changing. And there was like this glimpse of hope. And, um, I still was doing heroin, so I was, um, still doing drugs, on heavy drugs. I vaguely remember, I report how I got through customs, I'll never know.