Guests – Sheri Lopez, Jeff Utsch, Betsy Smith

Human Trafficking Survivor Shares Her Story and Mission to Help Others

Sherri Lopez: From Trafficking Victim to Advocate

At just 15 years old, Sherri Lopez was trafficked for seven years despite living in what she describes as a secure and caring home. Now the executive director of Pearl at the Mailbox, Lopez is working to help others escape similar situations and rebuild their lives.

"The majority of children that are forced into trafficking have created a relationship with their trafficker," Lopez explains. "That takes time, which is the grooming process."

In Lopez's case, the grooming began through her high school boyfriend, whose father ultimately became her first trafficker. Over her seven-year ordeal, she would have four different traffickers before finally escaping.

The name of her organization honors the woman who helped her break free. Pearl lived in the same apartment complex and noticed Lopez's movements when she was allowed to collect mail unattended.

"Pearl had lived in the apartment complex to where she could see the door of the apartment I was held in. She could see traffic. She paid attention to what was happening around her," Lopez recalls. "She would meet me there. And over time I started to listen to her."

Pearl's consistent message—"I know something's wrong; when you're ready to go, I'll take you"—eventually gave Lopez the courage to leave after a particularly brutal beating.

"God put her in my path to get me out because prior to walking away with her, I started having dreams that if I did not get out, I really was going to die," Lopez says. "When I accepted the invitation, she took me to a small church. And they just loved on me for months before I ever even went back to Colorado, where this all originated."

Advocating for Trafficking Survivors

Lopez has channeled her painful experiences into advocacy work, writing a book called "Pearl at the Mailbox" and testifying before Congress. She recently helped update Arizona's vacator law, which allows trafficking survivors to petition courts to set aside charges like prostitution or petty theft that occurred while they were being trafficked.

"The vacator law here in Arizona allows survivors who were charged with local crimes to be able to petition the courts and say, 'Hey, I have these charges. And I can prove that it happened while I was trafficked,'" Lopez explains. "So those charges can be set aside so that they could go on and try and rebuild a new life because the life they had is gone."

Lopez is now taking her advocacy to the federal level. She was invited to testify before the United States Congressional Judiciary Committee regarding the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act, which would extend similar protections to survivors charged with federal crimes.

Modern Trafficking Methods and Prevention

While Lopez's own experience began with in-person grooming, she warns that today's traffickers often use technology to target vulnerable children. Social media platforms and gaming sites have become common hunting grounds.

"Usually the groomer is on multiple sites at one time fishing," Lopez explains. "They're looking for children that say certain things like, 'My parents don't get me. I just got in a fight with my parents. My parents are stupid. I want to run away. Nobody loves me.'"

The groomer establishes a relationship, sometimes using a false persona more relatable to the child's age. Over time, they work to isolate the child from supportive relationships, convincing them that "their parents are stupid" and that the groomer is the only one who truly cares about them.

"And then there's always an invitation to meet in person," Lopez notes, adding that trafficking can also occur without physical contact. "A child can be trafficked inside your home without you even knowing it via images."

To help educate communities about these dangers, Lopez conducts what she calls "living room conversations," where people can ask questions they might not feel comfortable asking in larger settings.

"I encourage people to invite their friends, family, neighbors over to their home, and I come over and we have the uncomfortable conversation where they can ask these questions that they are curious about," she says.

Lopez emphasizes that trafficking can happen to any child, regardless of family circumstances. "I hate to give any parent, grandparent, uncle, anybody who has children in their life the false sense that they're immune to this because of however they may live their life circumstances."

Trump Administration's Political Strategy and Constitutional Approach

Modern Political Theory and Constitutional Boundaries

Historian Jeff Uch describes President Trump's approach to governance as "modern political theory," drawing a distinction between this and the flawed concept of "modern monetary theory."

"Most politicians, when they get in power, spend judiciously. They've got this political capital," Uch explains. "But Trump has decided modern political theory is basically a theory akin to modern monetary theory, but not so ill-conceived."

Uch believes the American people want Trump to make significant changes as long as he stays within constitutional boundaries—which, he argues, Trump has done so far, despite vocal opposition from the left.

"We had the Democrats under Biden be okay with Biden going against the Supreme Court and making decisions about student loans, about weaponizing the executive branch to cancel contracts and not allow for landlords to kick out tenants who aren't paying rent, for mandating through the executive branch unconstitutional vax mandates for people that have 50 employees or more," Uch points out. "And now when Trump is actually staying within the bounds of constitutional authority, they're crying and screaming and it just doesn't work."

Constitutional Authority and Judicial Overreach

Uch expresses concern about the Trump administration's adherence to temporary restraining orders (TROs) issued by lower federal court judges, arguing that these judges lack constitutional authority to issue nationwide injunctions against executive orders.

"The only court that was created by the Constitution is the Supreme Court. And all other courts, lower court, federal courts are created by Congress," Uch explains. "And somehow in the mix, these temporary restraining orders by local federal judges have become national injunctions, right? And there is nothing in the Constitution or statutorily that mandates that these injunctions on a lower federal court judge should be applied nationwide."

Uch believes Congress has the power to clarify these limitations and suggests this as a grassroots issue for constitutional rights advocates to pursue.

The Consequences of Pandemic Policies

The conversation also touches on how government officials, particularly governors, exceeded their authority during the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing economic consequences of pandemic spending.

"Did [governors] have emergency powers to mandate that we stay in indefinitely? No, but we didn't kick back. The legislature didn't kick back," Uch notes. "Those emergency powers were intended to be short term until the legislature could convene."

Regarding the economic impact, Uch points to the "COVID spending debacle that today manifests serious consequences and can ruin a nation's economy. The direct result is massive inflation." He argues that the nation is still paying for decisions made nearly five years ago.

Law Enforcement Leadership and Challenges Under the New Administration

FBI and ATF Leadership Changes

The National Police Association has endorsed Kash Patel as the new FBI Director, with spokesperson Betsy Brantner Smith praising his qualifications and leadership.

"We endorse Cache Patel because he had such a fantastic background to be the FBI director. He was a prosecutor. He was a defense attorney. He's an intelligence specialist," Smith explains.

Patel has also named Dan Bongino, a former NYPD officer and Secret Service agent, as the FBI's Deputy Director. Despite media criticism characterizing Bongino as merely a podcaster, Smith highlights his extensive qualifications.

"Dan Bongino has a master's in psychology. He has an MBA from Penn State. He was part of the NYPD. Then he switched to Secret Service," Smith notes. "Dan Bongino doesn't need the fame of this. And he certainly doesn't need the money."

In addition to leading the FBI, Patel has been named director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Smith sees this as significant for Second Amendment rights advocates, suggesting the ATF will refocus on investigating gun crime rather than restricting lawful gun ownership.

Recent Violence Against Law Enforcement

The discussion turns to recent attacks on law enforcement officers, with Smith reporting the deaths of two police officers in Virginia Beach and another officer in Pennsylvania.

"We're having a terrible year this year for police officers," Smith says. "Last year, well over 350 police officers were shot in the line of duty. 163 were killed. And this year already we have lost 13 police officers. Their average age is 39. Eight of them murdered by gunfire."

Smith connects these issues to broader concerns about crime, including criminals who entered the country illegally during the previous administration and what she describes as a "woke justice system" that releases dangerous offenders.

Federal Immigration Enforcement Tensions

Immigration enforcement has created tensions between federal authorities and sanctuary cities. Border czar Tom Homan has clashed with Boston officials over their sanctuary policies, which limit cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Smith explains that ICE has been targeting serious criminals, not minor offenders: "Tom Homan is trying to put a stop to [criminal activity] by doing what? Following the law in the Constitution."

She cites Homan's statement at the Conservative Political Action Conference: "I looked at the numbers this morning. I stopped counting at nine child rapists that were in jail in Massachusetts. But rather than honoring an ICE detainer, you release them back into the street."

Smith claims that elected officials in sanctuary jurisdictions are "facilitators" of crime who should be held accountable. She criticizes the national media for failing to fully report on these issues or ask challenging follow-up questions of elected officials.