‹‹ Colorado Matters

Mixed-race family says racial profiling fueled suspicions of human trafficking

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9min 35sec
Courtesy of Mary MacCarthy
Mary MacCarthy with her daughter Moira.

Authorities have been beefing up their efforts to crack down on human trafficking but one mother believes those efforts may be going too far. Mary MacCarthy and her 10-year-old daughter were stopped and questioned by Denver police as they deboarded a Southwest Airlines flight at Denver International Airport. A flight attendant suspected human trafficking but MacCarthy says the incident had more to do with racial profiling. She is white and her daughter is Black. The police say the case has since been closed and the charges were unfounded.