Statement on the National Action Plan To Combat Human Trafficking

I am proud to present my Administration's National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are among the unalienable rights enshrined in America's founding documents. Tragically, through force, fraud, and coercion, human traffickers deprive victims of these cherished rights. Often referred to as "modem slavery," human trafficking can involve the exploitation of both adults and children, for labor and sex. It can devastate people of all ages, genders, races, religions, and nationalities. My Administration is determined to eradicate this evil from our cities, suburbs, rural areas and tribal lands.

This National Action Plan represents our unwavering commitment to fighting human trafficking. It is built around the "three pillars" laid out in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA)—Prevention, Protection, and Prosecution—and lays out specific action items we are taking underneath each pillar. The National Action Plan also emphasizes collaboration, cutting across all sectors, to make our efforts as effective as possible. Through this whole-of-government approach, the United States will use every tool at its disposal to combat human trafficking and build on existing momentum.

My Administration has been committed to this effort since its earliest days. During my first month in office, I instructed federal agencies to do what was necessary to bring human traffickers to justice, and to assist traumatized survivors as they travel the road to recovery. Since then, I have signed nine pieces of bipartisan legislation to combat human trafficking domestically and around the globe.

At my direction, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agents have arrested more than 5,000 human traffickers over the last three years. We are dismantling criminal organizations, as we disrupt the financial infrastructure of these networks. U.S. law enforcement consistently collaborates with Mexican law enforcement officials to annihilate human trafficking networks operating across the Southern border.

Under my Administration law enforcement is aggressively pursuing these criminals and putting them where they belong—in jail. In 2019, federal law enforcement agencies initiated more than 1,600 new investigations into human traffickers, and the Department of Justice-funded human trafficking taskforces reported opening more than 2,500 new cases at the state and local level. We continue to support State and local law enforcement in their efforts to fight trafficking. We are also prioritizing federal resources towards appropriate training for law enforcement officers and community partners to detect and respond to human trafficking scenarios and victims. Further, we are strengthening public awareness campaigns and cautioning children about the dangers to avoid.

Simultaneously, we are empowering and funding faith-based and community organizations to provide survivors with the vital services they need, including medical and counseling services, safety planning, educational opportunities and vocational training. My Administration also funded the largest package of Department of Justice grants to combat human trafficking in U.S. history, which included the first-ever funding for safe housing opportunities for survivors nationwide.

In January 2020, I hosted the historic White House Summit on Human Trafficking to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the TVPA. I renewed my commitment to eradicating human trafficking by signing an Executive Order which directed decisive action across the United States government.

And there is more to be done.

I call upon industry associations, law enforcement, private businesses, schools, faith-based and other civic organizations, and all Americans to take action towards ending all forms of human trafficking. It is an intolerable blight on any society that values freedom, human dignity, individual rights, and the rule of law. The United States government will continue to fully leverage its authorities and resources to eradicate this evil by preventing it from occurring, supporting and empowering survivors, prosecuting traffickers to disrupt illicit enterprises and hold offenders accountable, and coordinating an effective government response.

DONALD J. TRUMP