P. Diddy and Immigration
Currently, two stories strangely overlapping in my newsfeed are those about Sean “P. Diddy” Combs and Immigration.
The Combs story is gut-wrenching. I usually cannot finish an article with the latest update because the details are so violent and degrading. Combs is awaiting trial, and I imagine the details of his alleged abuse will only become more challenging to read. But here is what I want the community to know: most of what we’re reading online regarding this case is often parallel to what we read on an intake application to one of our programs. The difference is that Combs is wealthier than most traffickers. But the abuse, the violence, the drug use, the manipulation, the number of people involved, and the cycle of exploitation that involves dozens of women in one setting is sadly so familiar to what many survivors experience while in the life of exploitation.
If guilty of his charges, Combs could face prison for the rest of his life. But the women he exploited and trafficked will feel very little justice if he’s convicted. Survivors fight to overcome their sexual trauma for the rest of their lives. It takes comprehensive care for her mind, body, and spirit to heal and find hope for their future. As you know, this is why Naomi’s House exists: to provide resources to heal and to be sure she’s never trafficked again. Sean Combs’ story and his alleged crimes are newsworthy because of who he is. But what happened to women under his control is not uncommon to the tens of thousands of women who experience similar abuse every single day.
How is this related to immigration? Similar to how the Combs story gives survivors leverage to voice their experience about how common sex trafficking is in our communities, immigration gives way to having the same conversation. People ask us if we’ve seen an uptick in undocumented women seeking NH services. According to our numbers, the answer is no. Our programs continue to be at capacity, and we are pursuing growth to serve more women, but most of the women we serve are from Chicagoland. There are 24,300 women trafficked in IL each year, and we will serve over 250 women in 2024. Less than ten women we served out of the 250 were undocumented.
It is an honest and curious question to ask if we’re serving more undocumented women in our programs. But we should also be asking, “Why are women and girls being exploited in the first place?” Whether local or from another country, every woman and girl deserves a life free of trafficking and exploitation.
Is immigration an important topic? Without a doubt. Jesus cared deeply for the sojourner and calls Christians to do the same. While we are to make informed decisions about voting and policy, we also have the privilege to love and care for people on the margins, those who are desolate and strangers to our community. And when we do, I believe we are living out the powerful truth of Romans 8:5, “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”
The Sean Combs story and Immigration are topics we must engage with. They remind us that women and girls are trafficked every day. If we wait for “hot social topics” to move on issues that stir us, we waste time serving survivors right before us.
You’d be so proud of the women Naomi’s House served this year! They bring such light and hope when headline news makes the world feel heavy and dark. Thank you for making a way for women to heal and find life's fullness in Jesus!
Simone
Co-Founder and Executive Director