February 2nd 2026 sex worker’s and supporters visited San Jose to push back against increased law enforcement raids and stings surrounding large sporting events like the Super Bowl.
During Super Bowl LX, Bay Area Advocates and Police Renew Focus on Human Trafficking Awareness – Sara Hossaini Feb 5, 2026
Sex Worker 2026 Super Bowl Push Back
Sex Workers call out Santa Clara County Supervisors for self-perpetuating anti-trafficking scam.
Press release: End The Anti-Trafficking Super Bowl Scam
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, Feb. 2, 2026
Media Contacts
Maxine Doogan
ESPLERP
stoptheraidsusa@gmail.com
415-265-3302
Rachel West
US PROStitutes Collective
rachelwest@allwomencount.net
415-640-4250
Soma Snakeoil
Executive Director
The Sidewalk Project
soma@thesidewalkproject.org
415-966-6019
Sex Workers Rally to Protest Superbowl Spending on Anti-Trafficking Scams
Santa Clara, California – Sex workers and advocates rallied on Monday, February 2nd from 3:00 to
5:00 PM at the San Jose Convention Center. We object to the huge spending on “anti-trafficking operations”
around Super Bowl LX, being held Sunday, February 8th at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara. Dozens of law
enforcement agencies, including ICE, are coming together for these operations. Is this push really about
anti-trafficking or is it a pretext for a crackdown to arrest and deport immigrants?
“It feels like Groundhog Day,” said Soma Snakeoil, Executive Director of The Sidewalk Project:
“Every year the same fake stories about sex trafficking at the Super Bowl resurface. There’s not a shred of
evidence to support an increase in sex trafficking at the Super Bowl. A simple web search or checking
Snopes.com would show this is false. Even the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women has debunked it.
Historically, these operations target sex workers for arrest and few, if any, victims of trafficking are actually
found. Most of those arrested are Black, Latinx and other women of color. Sex worker criminalization and
deportation does not increase safety for anyone.”
So why does this urban myth keep coming back – year after year? The simple answer – it delivers money
for law enforcement and scam “anti trafficking” non-profits. For example, the Santa Clara County Board of
Supervisors recently approved $27,456 in overtime funding for Human Trafficking operations for Superbowl
LX based on an average overtime rate of $156 per hour while state and federal budgets for survivor services
have been drastically cut. This illustrates their priorities: money for law enforcement, nothing for survivors.
“Why doesn’t the government start properly funding social safety nets, permanent housing, and robust
physical and mental health care,” says Soma Snakeoil.
“If they really care about victims, the state and counties should provide a Guaranteed Care Income,” said
Rachel West of US PROStitutes Collective. Most sex workers are mothers. The Guaranteed Care Income
San Francisco pilot was a groundbreaking one-year program that provided $2,000 in monthly unconditional
cash payments to ten low-income single mothers. This initiative was the first of its kind to explicitly recognize
and compensate for the caregiving work of mothers, affirming that raising children is vital work that deserves
payment. The participants faced severe economic hardships, including housing instability and little or no
income. Many of these women were at high risk of criminalization or losing their children to the child welfare
system, and some were active in sex work. Coordinated by In Defense of Prostitute Women’s Safety
(IDPWS) and partner organizations, the pilot demonstrated that increasing financial security for low-income
mothers reduced the systemic challenges of poverty and child removal.
The rally is being called by the Stop the Raid Committee, which campaigns for the decriminalization of sex
work. ###
