[MisterTea]

From multiple sources: Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.

A coyote smuggles people but the status of the people being smuggled varies. Either the people pay the coyote up front for safe crossing but many can't afford the price. So they are promised a "job" in order to work off their coyote debt. Job being a euphemism for bondage/slavery doing god knows what. So it's a safe bet to say that coyotes participate in human trafficking.

[ajross]

None of that is alleged in the linked article, though. Also, and I think most folks here might be missing the distinction: the article is about refugees from Venezuela fleeing to South American destinations, not border crossing into the USA.