Family · New York City, NY Metro · September 30, 2026
Long Island Forum: Human Trafficking Persists Despite Rising Arrests
At a Huntington Town Hall forum this week, medical experts, law enforcement, and survivor advocates told residents that illegal sex work and human trafficking continue to spread across Long Island even as arrests climb, Newsday reported. Panelist Santhosh Paulus of Northwell Health's trafficking program said most cases begin with enticement — a false promise of romance, friendship, or a job. Huntington's Town Board has raised fines on spas allowing prostitution each of the past three years, and more than 40 arrests have occurred there since 2024; prostitution-related arrests islandwide have risen over 1,200% in five years. A separate Newsday investigation found a roughly $500 million-a-year illegal sex industry in New York, with at least 231 spa raids in Nassau and Suffolk counties over five years, some locations raided repeatedly. Panelists warned that more than 80% of trafficking victims see a physician yet are often missed, and cautioned bystanders against confronting suspected victims directly, since it can increase danger. Councilwoman Theresa Mari organized the event to raise awareness and connect residents with resources.
Source: Newsday
Watch the briefing
Listen to the briefing instead
Why Bible-Believing Christians Should Care
Scripture is unambiguous that human beings — made in God's image — must never be bought, sold, or used for sexual exploitation, and that God's people are called to defend the vulnerable rather than look away. This story is not about a church or ministry failing doctrinally; it is a reminder that a grave moral evil is expanding in ordinary communities faster than enforcement can contain it. Christians should not treat trafficking as someone else's problem to be solved solely by police fines and raids. Believers are called to practical vigilance — recognizing warning signs, supporting survivors, and pressing local officials toward real accountability — because indifference in the face of exploitation is itself a moral failure Scripture repeatedly condemns.
Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed — Isaiah 1:17
Share this alert
From the book
Strategically, the family is the transmission belt of civilization. It is where identity forms, where the Imago Dei, the image of God in every person, is first encountered, and where the values of the Kingdom are modeled in daily life. Which makes the family the single greatest obstacle to any totalitarian or radical ideology. A child who learns his worth from a loving father and mother is difficult for the state to indoctrinate.
— Chapter 18
Get the BookKnow where you stand
The free 4-minute assessment identifies your mountain and your institution’s capture phase — so alerts like this one arrive matched to where you actually stand.
Facing this yourself? Ask. Describe what is happening and get what the book, Scripture, and the law of your state say, with the exact words to use. Your first one is free.