Human trafficking or a plain case of migration?

The French detention of a plane on suspicion of its passengers being victims of exploitation raises the vital question of their intent: Were they just trying to get around labour barriers?

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Human trafficking is the modern version of the olden-day slave trade. Suspicion of it explains why French authorities detained a Nicaragua-bound aircraft over the weekend at Vatry airport, 150km from Paris, and put its passengers to questioning before letting it take-off. As reported, the Airbus A340 that landed in France for refuelling was a chartered flight from Dubai with 303 individuals—mostly Indians— including 11 unaccompanied minors. The plane’s owner, Romania’s Legend Airlines, denied involvement in any racket and claimed the passenger list was verified by a "partner" company that took it on hire. Two men were reportedly taken aside by a special French unit for interrogation as apparent crime suspects. Reports also suggest that over a dozen people off the plane sought asylum in France. As details of the incident remain sketchy and the motives unclear, we must also consider the likelihood that they were not being trafficked as human cargo for exploitation, but were headed for America—with Nicaragua as a transit point—on the