State Senator César J. Blanco Passes Bill to Strengthen Human Trafficking Enforcement at Hotels and Motels

Press Release Contact: Taylor Sanchez
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Taylor.sanchez@senate.texas.gov
May 13, 2025
State Senator César J. Blanco Passes Bill to Strengthen Human
Trafficking Enforcement at Hotels and Motels
Austin, Texas – Today, the Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 2105, authored by Senator César J.
Blanco, to strengthen the fight against human trafficking by giving local prosecutors the
authority to enforce training laws in hotels and motels.
Hotel and motel employees are required by law to complete anti-human trafficking training.
Currently, only the Texas Attorney General’s Office is allowed to enforce these laws. But with
over 13,000 hotels and motels operating in Texas, the AG’s office does not have the staff or
resources to keep up.
In El Paso, the County Attorney’s Office and Police Department have repeatedly found
violations during site visits. In one case, a woman was arrested at the Gateway Hotel for
drugging and forcing a woman into prostitution, despite the victim reporting the abuse to hotel
staff, who failed to act. Earlier this year, federal agents dismantled a human smuggling ring
operating across multiple local motels.
SB 2105 addresses this gap by allowing county and district attorneys to bring civil enforcement
actions against hotels and motels that violate the training requirement.
Senator Blanco issued the following statement:
“Human traffickers often use hotels and motels as venues to exploit victims. We saw this tragedy
unfold at the Gateway Hotel in El Paso, where a woman cried out for help, but hotel staff turned
a blind eye. That should never happen, especially not in our own community.
While Texas law requires staff at these establishments to be trained to identify and report
trafficking, but enforcement has fallen short. SB 2105 closes that gap by allowing local
prosecutors to take legal action when hotels and motels fail to comply, giving local communities
the tools to act quickly and hold bad actors accountable.
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This bill is about standing up for victims, empowering communities to protect themselves, and
making sure every hotel and motel in Texas is part of the solution, not part of the problem.”
El Paso County Attorney, Christina Sanchez, issued the following statement:
“I’d like to thank Senator Blanco for championing this important legislation and standing with
survivors and communities like El Paso. My office has seen firsthand how limited enforcement
authority prevents us from stepping in before it’s too late. The passage of SB 2105 gives local
prosecutors the tools we need to hold noncompliant businesses accountable, stop exploitation,
and keep our communities safe.”
For further information, please contact Taylor Sanchez at Taylor.Sanchez@senate.texas.gov.
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