Lindsey Speed, executive director of Traffick911, explains how young people become vulnerable to trafficking. Bob Wieland/C&S Media

Speakers at a townhall on border security have called for more government action and better coordination of resources to cut down on illegal immigration, smuggling and trafficking. 

The crowd was mostly composed of members of the Baby Boom generation, with a scattering of Gen X members.

3rd District Congressman Keith Self, R-McKinney, hosted the two-hour discussion held Thursday, Oct. 3, in the conference center of Collin College’s Wylie campus.

“When I first took office in the 118th Congress, we knew there were a lot of people [crossing the border],” Self said. “We knew there was sex trafficking. We knew there was drugs coming across the board. But it has become so complex … [and] we’ve got terrorists in our country today.”

Collin County Judge Chris Hill introduced the speakers, including Chad Wolf, a former acting secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Goliad County Sheriff Roy Boyd and Lindsey Speed, executive director of Traffick911 based in Addison.

Wolf, a graduate of Plano East Senior High School and Southern Methodist University, served with DHS during the administration of President Donald Trump. 

He was named acting secretary in November 2019 and resigned in January 2021. Wolf previously served as chief of staff of the Transportation Security Administration.

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