DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

STRATEGY TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING,

THE IMPORTATION OF GOODS

PRODUCED WITH FORCED LABOR, AND

CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION

Vision: The Department and our partners will strive to end all forms of

human trafficking and child sexual exploitation.

JANUARY 2020
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To report suspected human trafficking,

the importation of goods produced with forced labor, or

child sexual exploitation

to federal law enforcement, call:

1-866-347-2423

To get help from the

National Human Trafficking Hotline:

1-888-373-7888

Or text HELP or INFO to 233733 (BEFREE)

To get help with child sexual exploitation from the

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children:

1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)

or report.cybertip.org

To report suspected forced labor trade violations,

submit information at:

eallegations.cbp.gov/Home/allegation

Any tip reported is welcome.

Provide the information to allow professionals to decide if action can be taken.

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The American Public: 

The U.S. Department ofHomeland Security is committed to upholding the law and preventing illicit activity from 

harming American interests. As part of the homeland security mission, DHS enforces trade, travel, and victim 

protection laws to combat criminal activity, including human trafficking, the importation of goods produced with 

forced labor, and child sexual exploitation. These heinous crimes have no place in our society, and we are 

leveraging the Department's authorities to eliminate such inhumane activity. 

I am pleased to announce the U.S. Department ofHomeland Security Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking, the 

Importation_ ofGoo_ds Produced with Forced Labor, and Child Sexual Exploitation. This strategy articulates the 

Department's long-term approach for combating these crimes and serves as a framework to prioritize resources 

and monitor progress. Additionally, this strategy supports the President's Interagency Task Force to Monitor and 

Combat Trafficking in Persons, a Cabinet-level entity that coordinates federal efforts to combat human trafficking. 

I look forward to the Department's implementation ofthis strategy in the years to come. 

Sincerely, 

ct-t~ 1-J 

Chad F. Wolf {/"'~ 

Acting Secretary 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The prevalence of human trafficking, forced labor, and child sexual exploitation throughout the world is an

urgent humanitarian issue with direct and far-reaching consequences on the United States. Within the United

States, human trafficking and child sexual exploitation are grossly prevalent and affect diverse communities.

These crimes threaten our physical and virtual borders, our immigration and customs systems, our prosperity,

our national security, and are a direct attack on Americans’ personal safety and our country’s public safety.

Accordingly, the United States has declared it a national priority to end human trafficking, the importation of

goods produced with forced labor, and child sexual exploitation. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is

on the frontlines of this fight, protecting the country and collaborating with our partners to stop these crimes.

To leverage all of our authorities in this fight, DHS developed a first-of-its-kind Strategy to Combat Human

Trafficking, the Importation of Goods Produced with Forced Labor, and Child Sexual Exploitation. It

represents our vision to end this urgent humanitarian issue, articulates the Department’s long-term approach for

combating these crimes, and serves as a framework to prioritize our resources and monitor progress.

The strategy outlines five key goals:

ONE—Prevention. Reduce the threat by providing information and resources to specific vulnerable

populations, schools, and community groups.

TWO—Protection. Disrupt illicit activity by identifying and assisting victims toward stability and

recovery.

THREE—Prosecution. Leverage DHS law enforcement and national security authorities to investigate,

take enforcement action, and refer cases for prosecution.

FOUR—Partnership. Build strong partnerships throughout the homeland security enterprise as force

multipliers across the Nation.

FIVE—Enabling DHS. Harmonize and organize DHS programs to allow for maximum efficiency and

effectiveness in addressing these threats.

Across these five goals there are nine objectives, each with a series of Priority Actions, which will guide the

Department in its efforts to combat human trafficking, the importation of goods produced with forced labor, and

child sexual exploitation. When implemented, this strategy will strengthen public safety and the security of the

border, travel, immigration, and customs systems. It will also assist communities in becoming more resilient

against these scourges.

DHS is committed to keep fighting against this evil. In collaboration with our homeland security enterprise

partners, we will bring trafficking and exploitation to an end and protect communities from further exploitation.

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PRE DECISIONAL -

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION............................................................ 1

GOAL 1: PREVENTION.................................................... 7

GOAL 2: PROTECTION.................................................... 10

GOAL 3: SUPPORTING PROSECUTION.................................. 17

GOAL 4: PARTNERSHIP.................................................. 23

GOAL 5: ENABLING DHS................................................. 26

CONCLUSION............................................................... 29

APPENDIX A: CURRENT DHSEFFORTS................................. 30

APPENDIX B: GLOSSARY OFTERMS..................................... 43

APPENDIX C: PRIMARY AUTHORITIES................................. 46
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

The prevalence of human trafficking, forced labor, and child sexual exploitation throughout the world is an urgent

humanitarian issue with direct and far-reaching consequences on the United States. Communities across the

Nation have become unwilling sources, transit points, and destinations for illicit activities that threaten our

physical and virtual borders, our immigration and customs systems, and our Nation’s safety and security. The

inherent nexus between these often transnational illicit activities and border and international trade security and

immigration responsibilities makes DHS essential to combating these threats. DHS is on the frontlines protecting

the country and collaborating with our partners against human trafficking and child sexual exploitation and

interdicting these crimes. Accordingly, the United States has declared it a national priority to end human

trafficking, the importation of goods produced with forced labor, and child sexual exploitation. To accomplish

this important initiative, the United States has endorsed the globally-accepted framework to combat human

trafficking known as the “four P paradigm” of prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnership.

Homeland Security Investigations Victim Assistance Specialists inform victims of their rights, offer support, and refer victims to services.

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Human trafficking1 in its many forms is far more prevalent than many realize. It is an extremely lucrative illicit

activity with estimated annual global profits of $150 billion.2 Even though human trafficking, which involves

exploiting a person for the purposes of compelled labor or a commercial sex act, can be considered a single crime,

there are many different types of human trafficking. Sex trafficking can range from escort services to outdoor

solicitation to personal sexual servitude, among other forms. Labor trafficking occurs across many different

industries, such as agriculture, domestic work, hospitality, food services, and health and beauty services. Human

trafficking victimizes an estimated 25 million people around the world, of whom 80 percent are victims of forced

labor and 20 percent are victims of sex trafficking.3 In 2018, the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline was

contacted 41,088 times and reported 10,949 cases of human trafficking, a number that has increased annually. In

the past five fiscal years, DHS received 6,171 reports to our Tip Line regarding suspected human trafficking and

child sexual exploitation and 4 tips and allegations regarding the suspected importation of goods produced with

forced labor, forced child labor, prison labor, or slave labor.

Human traffickers and their victims can be of any age, race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, nationality,

immigration status, cultural background, socio-economic class, and education attainment level. Traffickers can

be relatives, friends, politically connected in their country of origin, and operating alone or as part of gangs or

transnational criminal organizations. Traffickers use various forms of force, fraud, and coercion to control and

exploit victims. This might include imposing debt, fraudulent employment opportunities, false promises of

marriage or a better life, psychological coercion, and violence or threats of violence. Some human trafficking

occurs entirely within the United States, while in other instances, victims move across our borders unaware that

they will become trafficking victims. Human trafficking occurs in both legal and illegal industries, and may

intersect with other criminal activity, such as drug trafficking, arms trafficking, gangs, corruption, money

laundering, domestic violence, and rape and sexual assault.

1 Human trafficking refers to (1) sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the

person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or (2) the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or

obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary

servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. Other terms for human trafficking in common circulation include trafficking in persons

and modern slavery. Forced labor and labor trafficking are used interchangeably in common conversation. Forced labor has slightly

different definitions between the federal criminal code and the federal customs code. 2 International Labour Organization, Profits and Poverty: The Economics of Forced Labour (Geneva: International Labour Organization,

2014).

3 International Labour Organization and Walk Free Foundation, Global estimates of modern slavery: Forced labour and forced marriage

(Geneva: International Labour Organization, 2017).

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A U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicle inspects goods at a port of entry.

Globally, forced labor is estimated to be the predominant form of human trafficking, far more prevalent than sex

trafficking. In many cases, inadequate rule of law, high crime and poverty rates, and cultural norms contribute to

the epidemic of forced labor. A lack of transparency in complex, extensive global supply chains or a lack of

attention to the problem of forced labor can

endanger the lives of laborers and negatively

impact consumers and corporations. Forced labor is

antithetical to American values and undermines

legitimate trade and competition.

Imported goods produced with forced labor4

present several risks for the public, corporate,

government, and military supply chains, ranging

from food safety and intellectual property to

nationalsecurity. U.S. law prohibits the importation

of goods mined, produced, or manufactured wholly

or in part from forced labor and violators may face

criminal and civil consequences. Therefore, it is

incumbent upon U.S. importers to ensure their

supply chains are free from forced labor. The

United States remains unique among countries in instituting this prohibition and DHS is the primary federal

department tasked with enforcing this ban. In addition to harming laborers, consumers, and corporations,

importing such goods undermines the ability of similar American-made goods to be sold at a competitive price.

Human trafficking victims include victims of forced labor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 Forced labor in the context of a federal trade violation means all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace

of any penalty for its nonperformance and for which the worker does not offer himself voluntarily. This includes forced child labor,

prison labor, or slave labor. This differs from the definition of forced labor, also known as labor trafficking, in federal criminal law.

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Child sexual exploitation involves victimizing a minor for sexual gratification or some other personal or financial

advantage. It includes acts related to child sexual abuse material (pornographic images and video of children),

transnational child sexual abuse,5 and child sex trafficking. A child cannot be charged with prostitution under

federal law. When a child performs commercial sex acts, even if no force, fraud, or coercion is involved, federal

law considers that human trafficking. Similarly, other offenses involving the sexual exploitation of children are

also criminalized under U.S. law.

Each year, DHS forensically examines more than 3,000 terabytes of data in support of child sexual exploitation

investigations. In particular, the permanency of child sexual abuse depicted in images and video allows offenders

to victimize children with each view. Beyond hard drives where many perpetrators store thousands of files

depicting the sexual abuse of children, smart phones and other web-enabled devices allow perpetrators to possess,

transport, or have access to millions of files that depict the sexual abuse of children. These web-enabled devices

with digital cameras are in the palms of offenders’ hands all over the world, allowing perpetrators to produce and

share child sexual exploitation and abuse material almost instantaneously. Traditionally, perpetrators share child

sexual abuse material with one another in close-knit, likeminded communities online without profiting from the

trade. Increasingly, though, perpetrators abuse children, mostly young children and babies, remotely using an

internet connected camera, or webcam, often called live streaming of abuse, for money. Abusers offer

livestreaming for low prices and profit from the volume of transactions. A single livestreaming abuser may have

thousands of buyers, many of whom are in the United States, interested in watching a livestreamed child sexual

abuse session. A single buyer often views many thousands of unique abuse sessions.

Digital forensics is critical to many child sexual exploitation cases.

5 U.S. laws prohibits any U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident from traveling to a foreign country with intent to engage in any form

of sexual conduct with a U.S.-defined minor. It is also illegal to help organize or assist another person to travel for these purposes.

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Child sexual exploitation costs little money or sophisticated technology to commit. Child abusers’ early adoption

of new, free, and widely-available technologies and platforms often ensures difficulty in locating and rescuing

child victims as well as identifying and arresting perpetrators. More and more, these illicit marketplaces and

communities of perpetrators exist on the dark web where perpetrators connect using hidden networks and

specialized software to operate with perceived anonymity. Dark web communities often require that perpetrators

produce new child sexual exploitation and abuse material to gain access and achieve status in the community.

Dark web sites and forums can include manuals and instructions on how to evade law enforcement on non-dark

web platforms. Investigators of child sexual exploitation are also concerned that end-to-end encryption will reduce

the number of reports of covered child sexual exploitation crimes that technology companies make to the National

Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline, as mandated in law. The NCMEC, a nonprofit, may then choose to make many of those reports available to law enforcement for further investigation. In

2018, NCMEC’s CyberTipline received more than 18.4 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation and

abuse, an all-time high that grows exponentially each year. Not only is this an indicator of a growing volume of

online child sexual exploitation, but also that companies have improved at detecting it. End-to-end encryption

could threaten a company’s ability to detect child sexual exploitation on their platforms and lead to fewer referrals

for investigation.

SCOPE

This strategy builds on the Department’s successes with a holistic approach that combats all forms of human

trafficking and child sexual exploitation and leverages the Department’s broad authorities to reduce the threat,

disrupt illicit activity, identify and assist victims toward stability and recovery, and build strong partnerships

throughout the homeland security enterprise as force multipliers across the Nation. Additionally, this strategy will

ensure that DHS law enforcement, our service providers, and our partners protect victims and build and maintain

trust between victims and the communitiessupporting them and law enforcement and other criminal justice actors.

This strategy addresses three interrelated illicit activities involving human exploitation: human trafficking, the

importation of goods produced with forced labor, and child sexual exploitation. Additionally, this strategy reflects

DHS’s unique legal authorities, responsibilities, and operational activities within the broader U.S. Government’s

approach to combating these three illicit activities. This strategy also distinguishes human trafficking from other

distinct criminal offenses, particularly human smuggling.6

6 Human trafficking and human smuggling are often used interchangeably in error. These are distinct crimes. Human trafficking does

not require crossing a border. Human trafficking victims have been exploited by their trafficker for commercial sex acts or labor. By

contrast, human smugglers engage in the crime of bringing people into the United States, or unlawfully transporting and harboring

people already in the United States, in deliberate evasion of immigration law. In some situations, human smuggling may result in human

trafficking. Understanding these conceptsis critical to ensuring human trafficking victims are properly identified, assisted, and protected.

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GUIDING PRINCIPLES

This strategy aligns with:

 the 2017 National Security Strategy,

 the Presidential Executive Order on Enforcing Law with Respect to Transnational Criminal

Organizations and Preventing International Trafficking,

 the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 as amended,

 the 2000 Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and

Children (the Palermo Protocol), supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational

Organized Crime (UNTOC),

 the U.S.-endorsed United Nations’ A Call to Action to End Forced Labour, Modern Slavery and Human

Trafficking, which seeks to end modern slavery by 2030,

 the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, and

 the Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget Memorandum on AntiTrafficking Risk Management Best Practices & Mitigation Considerations.

The following guiding principles inform the Department’s approach to this strategy:

 Protecting civil rights, civil liberties, and privacy. All DHS policies, programs, and operations will

preserve individual liberties, fairness, and equality under the law with respect for civil rights, civil

liberties, and privacy.

 Conducting a victim-centered approach in all operations. DHS places equally high value both on the

identification, assistance, and protection of victims as well as on the investigation and prosecution of

traffickers and those who sexually exploit children. A victim-centered approach includes a traumainformed, survivor-informed, and culturally competent approach to all engagements and policies

regarding victims.

 Equipping, empowering, and uniting the homeland security enterprise. DHS will collaborate with partners

throughout the homeland security enterprise to have a unified, far-reaching effect while respecting our

partners’ perspectives and approaches to this challenge.

 Facilitating legitimate trade and travel. DHS will take enforcement action against the importation of

goods produced with forced labor in a manner that facilitates legitimate trade and travel.

 Supporting operators and personnel. DHS will support the well-being of law enforcement officers, first

responders, service providers, field operators, and other personnel with the appropriate tools, training,

technology, and counseling to cope with traumatic events involving human trafficking.

 Administering evidence-based programming and policymaking. DHS will ensure that management

processessupport the goals and objectives of this strategy and apply socialscience-informed and evidencebased evaluations for programming decisions.

 Innovating through research and development. DHS will invest in research and development to improve

our ability to combat these illicit activities, particularly in keeping pace with emerging technology

facilitating crime, such as the dark web, livestreaming, and social media exploitation.

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A U.S. Secret Service agent instructs children on safe practices, particularly online, through the Childhood Smart Program.

GOAL 1: PREVENTION

Prevent Human Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation

Human traffickers and those who sexually victimize children engage in illicit activities that exploit significant

numbers of individuals in communities across every state in America and target all socioeconomic and

demographic backgrounds. These crimes take the lives of, seriously harm, and traumatize victims, which

negatively affects their ability to productively contribute to society. These crimes also disrupt and undermine the

legitimate economy and divert government and public resources to deal with their consequences. For this reason,

focusing efforts to prevent the crime from occurring is an essential investment in the safety, security, and

prosperity of the United States.

Prevention is critical to achieving the goal of ending human trafficking and child sexual exploitation. Effective

prevention stops these crimes and all associated harms before they occur. That may be done through building

skills, understanding, and awareness in the public so that members of the public avoid subjugation to or

involvement in human trafficking. Successful preventative measures include investing in and empowering

vulnerable populations, reducing risk factors, enhancing what makes an environment safe, and building resilience

against human trafficking and child sexual exploitation. Prevention efforts also seek to reduce the number of

individuals perpetrating human trafficking and child sexual exploitation. Early interventions with those who are

at risk to engage in these illicit activities may help reduce its likelihood. Some individuals may knowingly or

otherwise purchase the goods and services from human trafficking, so another key aspect of prevention is

educating the public on human trafficking, empathy for victims, and the associated penalties for committing a

crime.

DHS is committed to advancing prevention activities and strengthening our support for the prevention activities

carried out by other organizations. These prevention activities require a coordinated, multi-disciplinary, wholeof-society approach focused at the state and local level. The preponderance of these prevention activities are

sponsored, coordinated, or carried out by other federal agencies, state, local, tribal and territorial governments,

and civil society.

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OBJECTIVE 1.1

EMPOWER COMMUNITIES TO RESIST HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND

CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION

DHS provides information and resources to specific vulnerable populations targeted by human traffickers to help

them resist deception, coercion, and manipulation. These efforts include providing know-your-rights information

to temporary foreign workers, young students on exchange programs, and individuals released from detention or

paroled into the United States.

DHS law enforcement officers also visit schools and community groups to teach children skills for protecting

themselves online through its iGuardian and Childhood Smart Programs. These interactions help to equip children

with tools they may use to avoid dangerous situations. They also boost the morale of law enforcement personnel

in providing direct engagement with the children who they work so diligently to protect. This outreach also

enhances relationships between our law enforcement personnel and their communities, which facilitates a level

of trust that has proven to help victims and support related investigations.

DHS will reduce the caseload for all those who work on or support the other goals of this strategy by successfully

preventing new individuals from being trafficked for sex and labor and children from becoming victims.

Stakeholders combating all elements of these illicit activities will have fewer victimsto identify, assist, and protect

and fewer criminals and criminal networks to investigate, prosecute, and dismantle when investing in successful

prevention.

The Homeland Security Investigations iGuardian Program teaches children, parents, and others about safe practices online.

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Priority Actions:

Assess Prevention Efforts. DHS will assess its current prevention initiatives and determine areas for growth and

improvement. The assessment will leverage research on effective prevention programming and evaluate the

effectiveness of DHS’s current initiatives, as well as opportunities to harmonize and de-conflict approaches with

other prevention efforts within the Federal Government and by state, local, tribal, and territorial governments and

non-governmental organizations.

Build Critical Safety Skills in Targeted Populations. DHS will ensure that populations targeted by human

traffickers and those who sexually exploit children can recognize grooming or other deceptive and dangerous

behavior, including online; assess risk; understand the principles of consent, defining personal boundaries, and

fair labor practices; engage in self-defense or other protective measures; and have information about their rights

and available means of support from social services and law enforcement agencies. DHS will involve law

enforcement and other operators in prevention-related outreach to build their rapport with and understanding of

these communities. DHS will bolster iGuardian and Childhood Smart Programs.

Create a Prevention Initiative to Reduce Perpetration of Human Trafficking. DHS will expand upon its

current prevention initiatives to address individuals at risk to perpetrate human trafficking, be it as a trafficker or

buyer. In concert with human trafficking experts, survivors, behavioral clinicians, and prevention practitioners,

DHS will explore the validity of using prevention frameworks to reduce offending.

Develop a Technology Industry Outreach Plan. DHS will develop a technology industry outreach plan that

shares information on the nature of the threat and collaborates on innovation and developing technological

solutions to prevent child sexual exploitation, particularly the livestreaming of abuse, and human trafficking on

their platforms.

Assess Methods to Increase Oversight of Labor Recruitment and Contracting Practices in Nonimmigrant

Visa Programs. DHS will strengthen oversight of sponsors, their contractors, and associated recruiters seeking

candidates for work-related nonimmigrant visa programs. This will reduce the risk that these visa holders are

vulnerable to exploitation once in the United States.

Designate a Senior Accountable Official on Acquisitions. DHS will designate a senior accountable official to

combat human trafficking in federal acquisitions and contracts, to include the use of suspension and debarment.

That official will also oversee a procurement official and an expert who both specialize in combating human

trafficking. These three will work together to implement the anti-human trafficking Federal Acquisition

Regulation and related policies across the Department.

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GOAL 2: PROTECTION

Identify, Assist, and Protect the Victims of Human Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation

Human trafficking and child sexual exploitation remain underreported crimes. Human trafficking victims rarely

come forward to seek help whether they are unable to do so or their vulnerabilities are being exploited to prevent

them from seeking assistance. They rarely know their rights and how to get help, or they are afraid to reach out

for fear of being hurt, arrested, or deported.

In addition, service providers, law enforcement, and other community members who interact with victims may

be unfamiliar with the indicators of human trafficking. Sometimes they erroneously perceive victims primarily as

teen runaways, juvenile delinquents, users of illegal substances, prostitutes, or removable aliens. This can generate

inappropriate responses and ignores the very vulnerabilities for which traffickers targeted them.

It is incumbent on law enforcement, service providers, members of the public, and other professionals

encountering and working with possible victims to identify the indicators of sex and labor trafficking, to offer a

protective response, and seek appropriate help. Certain communities or locations are more likely to encounter

victims, such as transportation services and hubs, hotels, medical emergency and urgent care providers, welfare

services professionals, faith-based organizations, shelters, and jail or detention facilities. Even though these

crimes may seem hidden from the public’s eye, there can be numerous opportunities for individuals to recognize

that something is amiss and report that information for further investigation or assistance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your awareness is needed to identify indicators of human trafficking, offer a protective response, and seek appropriate help.

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A possible victim of human trafficking is depicted in a Blue Campaign public service announcement.

Authorities must work to build a victim’s trust as part of their role of preventing people from becoming victims

of crime and seeking criminal justice on behalf of those who have been victimized. Authorities must demonstrate

their trustworthiness, empathize with victims, connect with victims by appreciating victims’ cultural backgrounds

and acknowledging their own cultural backgrounds, understanding victims’ trauma, and avoiding actions that

further traumatize victims. Appropriate engagement at this critical juncture will help individuals who suffered

exploitation stabilize and recover. Once survivors begin to recover, they can make new contributions to society,

which can include supporting their families, offering their experiences and expertise to prevent crimes against

others, or participating as witnesses in the criminal justice process so traffickers are brought to justice. With

human trafficking cases, a victim’s cooperation and often their testimony is essential to obtaining a conviction.

Victims of human trafficking and child sexual exploitation have often endured unspeakable levels of injury that

can be physical, psychological, sexual, financial, or otherwise harmful in nature. The potentially diminished

capacity of victims to productively contribute to society due to their trauma is a hidden cost of the crime that

continues well-after the criminal activity concludes. Safely removing victims from a situation of human

trafficking and child sexual exploitation is only the first step in a victim’s recovery. Victims often require a wide

range of short- and long-term assistance, ranging from immediate shelter, nourishment, and medical care to lawful

immigration status, housing, education, and employment opportunities. Receiving adequate and appropriate

assistance as soon as possible is the intervention victims need to stabilize, avoid falling victim again, and work

toward recovery.

The U.S. Coast Guard assists an individual found at sea.

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OBJECTIVE 2.1

IMPROVE THE IDENTIFICATION AND REPORTING OF SUSPECTED

ILLICIT ACTIVITY

As a Department with numerous public-facing and operational roles, DHS employees are well-positioned to

recognize and report suspected human trafficking and child sexual exploitation. In the past five years, DHS

identified and assisted 2,670 human trafficking victims and 5,105 child sexual exploitation victims in the United

States. Of these victims, 5,912 were U.S. nationals. DHS’s partner law enforcement agencies across the country

identified and assisted many more victims. In addition to DHS personnel who range from law enforcement

officers, investigators, screeners, adjudicators, and other service providers, community members who have the

trust and confidence of victims, and observant, concerned members of the public are also well-suited to intervene

through identifying and reporting suspicious activity. Training and public awareness campaigns will help bring

these crimes out of the darkness.

DHS supports, coordinates with, and provides guidance, technology, and training to partners across the country

to identify and report human trafficking and child sexual exploitation when they encounter it during their own

work. DHS also engages in national public awareness initiatives that strive to be accessible for diverse

communities to encourage crime tips.

You can find free Blue Campaign resources at DHS.gov/BlueCampaign.

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Priority Actions:

Increase Public Awareness of Human Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation. DHS will develop and

disseminate educational and informational material to partners and the public on identifying and reporting human

trafficking and child sexual exploitation. Targeted audiences will be selected for perceived risk, and materials

will be tailored to the audience using survivor and the target community’s input. DHS will evaluate the

effectiveness of those awareness campaigns to the extent feasible.

Implement Training that Informs DHS Personnel of Warning Signs. DHS will enhance training for its

employees who may have direct or indirect contact with victims during the execution of their duties on

recognizing and reporting signs of human trafficking and child sexual exploitation. The training will include

operationally-relevant scenarios and regularly updated links to more information and other advanced trainings.

Establish Protocols and Methods for DHS Personnel to Report Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation.

Integrate and update screening and encountering protocols and records systems to more effectively and timely

identify and report suspicious activity. Screening results will be made available for analysis.

A Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers instructor trains Transportation Security Administration employees

on identifying human trafficking.

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OBJECTIVE 2.2

TREAT VICTIMS AS VICTIMS ACROSS ALL ENGAGEMENT AND

ENCOURAGE OTHER AUTHORITIES TO DO THE SAME

Victims can be reluctant to work with law enforcement for several reasons, including a fear of law enforcement

or immigration enforcement actions that perpetrators instill in victims. DHS places equally high value on both

the identification and stabilization of victims as well as on the investigation and prosecution of perpetrators of

criminal activity. Law enforcement requires the trust of victims and their supporters to gain their collaboration in

an investigation and prosecution. Without that trust, law enforcement will not have victims as witnesses. Without

witnesses, a prosecution is unlikely to succeed, and perpetrators of these heinous crimes will remain at large. DHS

and its personnel value and must work to establish and maintain that trust every day.

In accordance with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, as amended, DHS recognizes that protecting

law enforcement interests requires ensuring that victim-witnesses have the appropriate protections. While no

category of individuals with an immigration violation is exempt from removal from the country, all law

enforcement has discretion and the responsibility to assess the impact on enforcement efforts. Law enforcement

also should recognize that sometimes individuals have engaged in unlawful activity as a result of being a victim

of human trafficking. That activity can include prostitution, entering the country without documentation, or

working without documentation or with false documents. Victims may have particular needs that should be

accommodated, such as the need for language or disability support services. Also, the trauma inflicted on victims

necessitates appropriate care. Accordingly, law enforcement and service providers require specialized training to

engage with traumatized victims.

A good Samaritan vessel supports the U.S. Coast Guard in rescuing an individual at sea.

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Priority Actions:

Develop Victim-Centered Policies and Procedures for DHS Personnel. DHS will ensure policies and

procedures affecting victims of human trafficking and child sexual exploitation are consistent with the DHS

victim-centered approach. This includes mandated training on a victim-centered, trauma-informed approach and

safeguards against unnecessarily or inappropriately penalizing or subjecting to enforcement actions, on a caseby-case basis, victims of human trafficking. Victim-witnesses of trafficking who are actively working with

federal, state, local, territorial, or tribal law enforcement authorities will be afforded appropriate protections.

Victims’ needs will remain a priority through the investigative and judicial process.

Maintain Appropriate Victim Anonymity. DHS will maintain the anonymity of victims whenever possible to

protect them against further stigmatization. DHS will also assess whether migrating certain systems to secure

computing would enhance victim privacy.

Strengthen Intelligence-Driven Criminal Investigations. DHS will maintain standards that do not enable

overly broad operations that often lead to victim arrests. DHS will also follow through in outreach and training to

state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement partners on recommending types of operations that are victimcentered.

The Victim Identification Lab at the Homeland Security Investigations Cyber Crimes Center uses the latest technology

to identify victims appearing in child sexual abuse material.

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OBJECTIVE 2.3

IMPROVE AND EXPAND THE ASSISTANCE THAT DHS PROVIDES

TO VICTIMS

Although providing victims with necessary assistance is fundamentally an interagency and national endeavor,

DHS has unique authorities to assist victims. In many cases, DHS operators are the first individuals to identify

and assist victims of human trafficking and child sexual exploitation. Over the years, DHS has developed strong

partnerships with over 200 domestic and international non-government organizations, faith-based organizations,

healthcare and mental health professionals, and other service providers to ensure trafficking victims receive

support and relief. Victim Assistance Specialists who refer victims to assistance are not only necessary support

for investigators, but also for other DHS operators. Referrals to assistance are critical to stabilizing victims and

empowering them to recover and return to being healthy, productive, and self-sufficient members of society.

Additionally, DHS provides lawful status in the United States through Continued Presence,7 T visas,8 and U visas9

for eligible victims who cooperate with U.S. law enforcement authorities in the investigation or prosecution of

human trafficking cases. Training and outreach on immigration options available to victims of human trafficking

is essential to ensuring that victims receive the protection they deserve and allowing law enforcement to keep

cooperative victim-witnesses in the country for investigations and prosecutions. Together, these initiatives

expedite support for victims to recover from the hardships of human trafficking and support DHS’s ability to

identify and arrest traffickers of foreign national victims.

Priority Actions:

Improve Coordination of Immigration Options for Victims of Human Trafficking. DHS will use Continued

Presence and work with the interagency to develop solutions for victims of human trafficking who have not yet

received Continued Presence, a T visa, or a U visa.

Expand Field Support for Victims Assistance Programs. DHS will expand its victim assistance program and

its personnel to more adequately support human trafficking investigations and designate points of contact for

victim issues within operational agencies, including within Enforcement and Removal Operations’ custody

programs.

Educate the Public on Immigration Protections and Benefits for Victims of Human Trafficking. DHS will

provide potential victim-witnesses, victim services providers, immigration law practitioners, the public, and law

enforcement with current information and increased training and outreach on immigration options and protections

and federally-mandated assistance. Specifically, this will include outreach to federal, state, local, territorial, and

tribal law enforcement on their role in certifying T and U visas.

7 Continued Presence is a temporary immigration status provided to individuals identified by any U.S. law enforcement officer as victims

of a severe form of human trafficking who may be a potential witness. 8 T nonimmigrant status, commonly referred to as a T visa, is a temporary immigration benefit available to victims of human trafficking

who have assisted law enforcement or have been unable to cooperate with law enforcement due to physical or psychological trauma and

who meet other requirements. The T visa allows victims to remain in the United States for up to four years with work authorization and

access to certain federally-funded benefits and services. 9 U nonimmigrant status, commonly referred to as a U visa, is another temporary immigration benefit enabling victims of certain

qualifying crimes, including human trafficking, who have suffered substantial mental or physical abuse as a result of the crime and meet

other requirements. The U visa allows victims to enter or remain in the United States for a maximum of four years.

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Homeland Security Investigations is at the forefront of investigating human trafficking, the importation of goods produced with forced labor, and

child sexual exploitation.

GOAL 3: SUPPORTING PROSECUTION

Leverage DHS Law Enforcement and National Security Authorities to Investigate, Take

Enforcement Action, and Refer Cases for Prosecution

The expansive nature of exploitative crimes requires DHS to leverage all enforcement tools at our disposal. An

interdisciplinary, collaborative approach to investigations raises the likelihood of an investigation leading to

enforcement actions and successful prosecutions. Parallel financial investigations give prosecutors the

opportunity to pursue other charges against traffickers and are essential if victims hope to obtain restitution from

the forfeited assets of criminals. What begins as an investigation of a particular crime can often result in the

investigation of other criminal activity. For example, investigators find that human trafficking and child sexual

exploitation often intersect with other illicit activities, such as illicit finance, trade violations, drug trafficking,

gang activity, human smuggling, wildlife trafficking, and other forms of child exploitation.

DHS seeks to increase and improve its investigations of U.S.-based labor trafficking, a likely underreported crime

that rarely reaches the stage of prosecution and conviction. DHS deters and disrupts forced labor overseas by

enforcing the prohibition on goods produced wholly or in part with forced labor from entering the U.S. market.

The sheer volume of reports of online child sexual exploitation to investigate is incredible. Despite a significant

commitment, DHS investigative capabilities must continue to increase to meet the demand for investigative

activity. Livestreaming of child sex abuse is a horrific method of disseminating the crime that is difficult to

identify and investigate given its ephemeral nature, but which DHS would like to prioritize in disrupting and

dismantling.

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Enforcement actions beyond arrest include the ability to deny known foreign national traffickers and child sex

offenders’ access to U.S. immigration benefits and remove them from the country. DHS also shares information

with its international partners on traveling child sex offenders who are seeking to engage in transnational child

sexual abuse to possibly deny these offenders admission to a country.

Diversity of perspective and expertise enables better investigations, and widening the backgrounds of those who

participate on human trafficking task forces, such asincluding U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s participation

on task forces near the U.S. southern and northern borders, may improve outcomes. Investigators of all types of

human trafficking require advanced training to successfully investigate these complex crimes.

Within DHS, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations serves as an

investigative law enforcement agency that works with the Department of Justice to develop cases for prosecution.

In support of the Department of Justice’s oversight of the prosecutorial process, DHS is heavily invested in the

successful prosecution of human trafficking violators and those who sexually exploit children. Convictions and

penaltiesfor human trafficking, the importation of goods produced with forced labor, and child sexual exploitation

keep criminals and transnational organized crime networks from further threatening the safety and security of the

United States.

Parallel financial investigations of human trafficking networks can lead to forfeiting the assets of human traffickers and additional criminal charges.

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Law enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security seek to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks..

OBJECTIVE 3.1

DISRUPT AND DISMANTLE CRIMINAL NETWORKS ENGAGED IN

HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION

DHS’s investigative authorities derive from immigration and customs laws, including the authorities to administer

U.S. border security, giving DHS investigators a comparative advantage over other investigative agencies in

investigating transnational threats. Human trafficking and child sexual exploitation are often perpetuated by

transnational organized crime networks, a priority target for the DHS and the U.S. Government. At the borders,

DHS screens air, land, and maritime travelers and cargo for human trafficking and child sexual exploitation

victims and for goods produced with forced labor at ports of entry, while patrolling along our border and coasts

to prevent unlawful entry into the United States. DHS also conducts extensive investigations within the United

States to prevent abuse of our immigration system and eliminate illicit activity.

Priority Actions:

Develop Strategic Threat Assessments on Human Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation. DHS will

gather intelligence and conduct thorough strategic analysis on the threat from human trafficking and from child

sexual exploitation. These assessments will inform policy and operational priorities. They will also include

analysis of the associated financial crimes and some estimation of the prevalence of the demand from purchasers

and consumers of this illicit activity.

Develop Actionable Intelligence to Support Operations and Investigations. DHS will enhance tactical and

operational reporting related to transnational criminal organizations engaged in human trafficking in the various

DHS land, air, and sea domains. DHS will proactively use financial intelligence to identify human trafficking and

child sexual exploitation and subsequent investigations will identify and seize assets, monies, and proceeds

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derived from or used in support of these illicit activities. Regional and local efforts to combat human trafficking

will focus on select typologies of the crime assessed as more predominant for the area.

Improve Information Sharing. DHS, in collaboration with our law enforcement partners, will develop law

enforcement data standards and recommendations for leveraging existing functions on the Regional Information

Sharing Systems (RISS) to improve human trafficking and child exploitation investigations. This effort will also

assess the need for federated searches across various overlapping investigative platforms. DHS will also pursue

localized, small group data sharing agreements relevant to the prevalence of certain types of human trafficking in

an area. Additionally, DHS will work with interagency stakeholders to enable state, local, tribal, and territorial

law enforcement targets to be nominated to the U.S. Government’s Transnational Organized Crime Watchlist.

Enhance Data Management and Analysis. DHS will create or leverage an online repository for indicators and

signatures of human trafficking, including indicators of suspicious financial activity, and another for information

on buyers, both made accessible to all U.S. law enforcement. DHS will also examine the possibility of developing

a platform for managing, processing, and displaying information discovered in connection to a case while

maintaining appropriate protections for civil rights, civil liberties, and privacy.

Invest in Technology Automating Time-Intensive Investigative Efforts. DHS will consider investing in

technology-based solutions to enhance the speed and accuracy of identifying victims and conducting

investigations, such as technology to support reviewing or monitoring call records, financial records, surveillance

video, jail calls, and online forums. Investing in technology used to more quickly and effectively identify victims

in child sexual abuse material will remain a top priority.

Implement Advanced Training for Investigators. DHS will implement accessible, advanced training that

supports a holistic approach to combating these threats. Critical advanced training includes training on cultural

competencies and interpreter use, device forensics, online investigations, financial investigations, and other

advanced investigative techniques. Advanced training also includes exercises wherever possible to enhance

learning and will be made available digitally to law enforcement across the country as often as possible. DHS

will encourage increased participation of women in advanced training. DHS will also support partners’ effective

advanced training programs, such as the Anti-Trafficking Coordination Team (ACTeam) Initiative and U.S.-

Mexico Bilateral Human Trafficking Enforcement Initiatives.

Support Human Trafficking Task Forces. DHS will increase Department-wide expertise, participation, and

support for human trafficking task forces throughout the United States and ensure DHS participants in task forces

nationwide have mechanisms to share promising practices.

Integrate Human Trafficking Investigations into DHS Law Enforcement Functions. DHS will encourage

law enforcement personnel throughout the Department to consider evidence of human trafficking, particularly

labor trafficking, during their execution of routine law enforcement functions, such as worksite enforcement

actions or border security investigations, and refer those cases for investigation prior to removal.

Deny Admissibility to Human Traffickers and Child Sex Offenders. DHS will prioritize the removal of

convicted or wanted human traffickers and child sex offenders. Attorneys who litigate removal proceedings

against human traffickers will receive increased training and technical assistance. DHS will assess and implement

safeguards when screening applicants for immigration benefits to deny convicted human traffickers and child sex

offenders admission to the United States.

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OBJECTIVE 3.2

INTERDICT THE IMPORTATION OF GOODS PRODUCED WITH

FORCED LABOR

DHS is the primary federal agency responsible for enforcing civil and criminal laws to disrupt and dismantle the

importation of goods produced with forced labor. DHS is streamlining trade policies and procedures and ensuring

trade partners and industry understand the threat from this illicit activity. The Department inspects imports for

signs of goods produced through forced labor, investigates suspicious trade activity, issues notices to detain or

seize particular goods at our ports, and pursues criminal prosecutions against individuals and companies involved

in the importation of those prohibited goods.

Industry’s support and collaboration is essential to compliance. If industry views violating law and regulation as

a cost of doing business, then those laws and regulations prohibiting forced labor have not achieved their goal of

preventing the heinous activity from occurring. DHS should support industry in taking proactive measures to

prevent and eliminate human trafficking in their supply chains.

While several countries may have regulatory restrictions on the importation of goods produced with forced labor,

forced child labor, prison labor, or slave labor, no other nation has civil and criminal penalties associated with

importation. This lack of criminal designation in partner nations can undermine our ability to interdict these

shipments, as shippers can recall goods seized at our ports before attempting to re-import the goods following

transshipment. DHS is working to strengthen international, interagency, and non-governmental coordination to

interdict illicit goods in our supply chains.

U.S. CBP has civil enforcement authority and issues withhold release orders and findings on goods produced with forced labor.

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Priority Actions:

Increase Investigative and Enforcement Capacity. DHS will expand its capacity to assess civil penalties and

pursue criminal prosecutions against U.S. importers for violations of forced labor authorities. To strengthen

overall enforcement, DHS will consider streamlining regulatory frameworks guiding the process for forced labor

enforcement actions. DHS will also coordinate, consolidate, and publicize allegation and intake reporting

channels and other information to ensure quality, actionable leads, gain information for ongoing cases, and verify

forced labor allegations.

Improve Education and Outreach to Industry Partners. DHS will educate industry on the threat of goods

produced with forced labor destined for U.S. importation and improve trade alert reporting, due diligence policies,

and compliance assistance tools.

Encourage International Partners to Adopt Reciprocal Safeguards. DHS will raise awareness among foreign

partners of U.S. trade laws, limitations, and innovations, encourage international adoption and enforcement of

reciprocal safeguards that combat forced labor, and obtain agreements to support investigation and verification

of forced labor allegations. DHS will also work with international partners in the process of adopting the

prohibition on a two-way system for issuing trade alerts when enforcement actions go into effect.

Homeland Security Investigations investigates individuals or companies involved in the importation of goods produced with forced labor.

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GOAL 4: PARTNERSHIP

Strengthen Partnerships to Reduce Human Trafficking, the Importation of Goods Produced with

Forced Labor, and Child Sexual Exploitation

These illicit activities occur within diverse communities across the Nation, and the known scale and scope of the

threat from these activities overwhelm our resources. For example, about one in ten HSI agents are currently

investigating online child sexual exploitation, and yet DHS is barely making a dent in the millions of leads that

make up a backlog of potential cases. Given limited federal resources, partnerships in many forms are essential

to securing the United States from these threats. The Department values partnership across all facets of the

homeland security enterprise, which includes other federal agencies, state, local, tribal, and territorial

governments, international government partners, the private sector, non-governmental and community

organizations, academia, and the public engaged in efforts to protect our homeland security. Each member of the

homeland security enterprise has varied authorities, roles, and responsibilities in the fight, and some members

will have a comparative advantage over others in certain realms. While the Department has its own plans to

improve its efforts, DHS must work with the whole homeland security enterprise to see the greatest results.

The United Nations recognizes World Day against Trafficking in Persons on July 30 and assists countries in

implementing the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons.

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OBJECTIVE 4.1

EMPOWER AND INCENTIVIZE THE HOMELAND SECURITY

ENTERPRISE

Strengthening and leveraging DHS partnerships by expanding the diversity of support, perspectives, and

leadership will significantly enhance the cumulative value of all stakeholder efforts. Our partners in industry are

critical to our ability to advance research and technology. Survivors of human trafficking and child sexual

exploitation provide unique, valuable input, however engaging with survivors should be through appropriate

channels to mitigate re-traumatizing victims. The presidentially appointed U.S. Advisory Council on Human

Trafficking is an entity composed of survivors and charged with providing recommendations to the federal

government on its policies and programs. Government partners, whether domestic or foreign, are better aligned

with DHS efforts when we can share information with one another, always in a manner that protects individuals’

privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties, as consistent with law and policy. Partnerships also support educating our

personnel on the evolving nature of these illicit activities and methods to more effectively combat them. To

successfully prevent, protect, and prosecute human trafficking, the importation of goods produced with forced

labor, and child sexual exploitation, DHS should both empower and incentivize its partners to effectively

collaborate.

Homeland Security Investigations delivers a presentation to partners.

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Priority Actions:

Develop Regional Approaches. DHS, in partnership with the homeland security enterprise, will assess the needs

of specific regions of the United States impacted by human trafficking and child sexual exploitation and

recommend specific approaches and compacts based on their unique needs.

Incorporate Input from Survivors. DHS will increase engagement and regular consultation with the

presidentially appointed U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking and implement their recommendations,

including all those present in their annual report, as appropriate.

Emphasize Locally-Based Solutions. Explore developing a partnership framework to support state, local, tribal,

and territorial governments and ensure they are equipped to play a central role in vital tasks such as investing in

programs and services to prevent crime, identify and assist victims, and investigate and prosecute traffickers and

child sex offenders.

Partner with Foreign Governments to Combat Transnational Child Sexual Abuse and Human Trafficking.

DHS will work with foreign governments, particularly those with a high volume of travel to the United States, to

receive notifications when their known sex offenders seek to travel to or gain an immigration benefit in the United

States, leveraging existing agreements, arrangements, and processes where possible. Generally, DHS will identify

primary source and transit countries of human trafficking and child exploitation and take appropriate action to

incentivize countries to improve.

Set Standards with the Private Sector. DHS will work with law enforcement and the appropriate technology

sector partners to develop templates and standards for technology companies to use when answering lawful

requests for information.

Establish Field-Based Fellowships. DHS will establish fellowship opportunities for leaders in the field of

combating human trafficking and child sexual exploitation, the technology sector, and statistics and data analytics

to spur innovation and problem-solving, particularly within our Science and Technology Directorate.

Human trafficking and child sexual exploitation happens everywhere and overcoming these crimes requires a united, collaborative approach.

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The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate conducts research and development of tools and technologies

that Homeland Security Investigations uses to investigate online child sexual exploitation and identify victims.

GOAL 5: ENABLING DHS

Enable DHS to Combat Human Trafficking, the Importation of Goods Produced with Forced

Labor, and Child Sexual Exploitation

Every DHS Component contributes to the goals and objectives of this strategy. For that reason, this strategy must

also invest in harmonizing and organizing its programs efficiently. Coordination and consolidation across the

Department is vital in this mission space and enables DHS to attain its goals more quickly and effectively.

Combating these illicit activities does not simply require operational actions or new programs, it also requires

appropriate management of our Department’s resources and talent. When we invest in our personnel, we invest

in more effective operations and achieve positive results.

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OBJECTIVE 5.1

INTEGRATE EFFORTS WITHIN AND AMONG DHS COMPONENTS

TO ENHANCE THEIR IMPACT

DHS is at the forefront of the U.S. Government’s efforts to combat these illicit activitiesthrough its investigations,

victim assistance programs, intelligence and analysis, policy development, and training and awareness programs.

Fortunately, DHS is widely and deeply engaged on combating human trafficking and deeply engaged on

combating child sexual exploitation. The Department’s support functions, such as policy, legal counsel, outreach,

and legislative and public affairs, exist to serve the mission carried out operationally across DHS components. At

the same time, DHS representation to key interagency fora must represent and reflect that breadth and depth of

engagement. There are also times when efforts to combat human trafficking, the importation of goods produced

with forced labor, and child sexual exploitation are viewed as too distinct from one another to coordinate with the

other lines of effort. Most often the focus on public awareness to combat human trafficking overtakes an interest

in publicly engaging on combating other forms of child sexual exploitation, such as the most predominant form

of online child sexual abuse that involves producing and sharing imagery without charging money. To be most

effective and unified, DHS requires a centralized and coordinated mechanism to harmonize and focus all its

resources to combat human trafficking and to find opportunities to share that capacity with the efforts to combat

child sexual exploitation.

Priority Actions:

Explore Organizational Models to Better Integrate DHS’s Capabilities to Combat Human Trafficking.

DHS will evaluate and establish an organizational mechanism to harmonize, leverage, and, as appropriate,

centralize and coordinate its capabilities and resources to combat human trafficking and child sexual exploitation.

Adjust Metrics for Success. DHS will establish law enforcement performance measures that incentivize

proactive criminal investigations, task force engagement, and victim identification regardless of the criminal

justice outcome.

Assess and Address Intersectional Crimes. DHS will assess its role and applicable authorities or need thereof

to address other intersectional exploitation-based crimes, such as forced marriage, domestic violence, fraud and

smuggling in international adoption, child soldiers, and organ trafficking.

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OBJECTIVE 5.2

SUPPORT THE WELL-BEING OF LAW ENFORCEMENT, SERVICE

PROVIDERS, FIELD OPERATORS, AND OTHER PERSONNEL

Too often individuals underestimate the personal effects of encountering human trafficking and child sexual

exploitation in the line of duty. Without support and treatment for the personal effects of this work, vicarious

trauma, or other job-related stressors, employees will be diminished in their capacity or unable to contribute to

this important mission.

DHS already invests in proactive services for investigators exposed to child sexual exploitation material that

includes prevention of stressors, confidential assistance, and transition services for those moving onto other

investigative programs. Health and resilience programs can include training on mindfulness, support for good

nutrition and physical fitness, and remote mental health counseling. Training and outreach on the potential effects

of job-related stress and the available support services should reach all law enforcement personnel investigating

cases of human trafficking and child sexual exploitation, including their supervisors or managers. Those law

enforcement personnel include investigators deploying overseas where they are likely to work a human trafficking

or child sexual exploitation case even though it is outside their usual area of expertise due there being fewer agents

working in a particular jurisdiction.

Priority Actions:

Prioritize Adopting Technology to Keep Investigators Safe. DHS will develop and apply technology that

minimizes exposure to offensive media and allows agents to perform forensics more effectively.

Conduct Outreach to Engage Employees on Mental Health. Develop and implement a DHS awareness

campaign designed to decrease the stigma associated with seeking mental health services, especially for those

law enforcement, intelligence personnel, and immigration officers engaged in combating human trafficking and

child sexual exploitation activities. Training on vicarious

trauma and available support resources will be

incorporated into law enforcement training.

Provide Support Services to Employees. DHS will

ensure its employees have access to peer support

programs and the Employee Assistance Program. DHS

will require personnel encountering human trafficking

and child sexual exploitation access support on a regular

basis, where possible. The Department will champion and

pilot evidence-based health and resilience programs for

all DHS employees.

The well-being of the DHS workforce is essential to successfully

combating human trafficking and child sexual exploitation.

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CONCLUSION

The strategy’s goals and the accompanying objectives are intended to coordinate and improve our efforts to

eliminate human trafficking and child sexual exploitation. Within 180 days of issuing this strategy, DHS will

develop an implementation plan that includes specific deliverables, timelines, and metrics for key results. DHS

will assess implementation of this strategy’s goals and objectives on a routine basis and report progress to the

Secretary. With each step of implementation, this strategy will strengthen the security of the border, travel,

immigration, and customs systems, as well as assist communities in becoming more resilient to these illicit

activities. DHS will lead the fight against this scourge, in collaboration with our homeland security enterprise

partners. Together, we will end these illicit activities and protect targeted communities from further exploitation.

Human trafficking and child sexual exploitation is criminal and has no place in our free society. 29
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX A: CURRENT DHS EFFORTS

ENTITIES CENTERED ON COMBATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING, THE IMPORTATION OF

GOODS PRODUCED WITH FORCED LABOR, AND CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION

U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS)

T and U Nonimmigrant Status: USCIS oversees the nation’s lawful immigration system and administers

certain immigration benefits programs. T nonimmigrant status or “the T visa” and U nonimmigrant status or

“the U visa” programs provide immigration benefits to eligible victims of trafficking and child exploitation

through these programs. The T visa is a temporary immigration status available to certain victims of human

trafficking who have complied with reasonable requests for assistance from law enforcement (unless an

exception applies) and have met other eligibility requirements. The U visa is a temporary immigration status

available to victims of certain qualifying crimes, including human trafficking, who have suffered substantial

mental or physical abuse as a result of the crime and who assist law enforcement in the detection, investigation,

or prosecution of the crime. These programs are intended to strengthen the ability of law enforcement agencies

to investigate and prosecute cases of human trafficking and other serious crimes while offering immigration

status to eligible victims. Both T and U visa recipients are issued work authorizations and may eventually

apply for permanent residence in the United States.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

Forced Labor Division: CBP Office of Trade’s Forced Labor Division researches and investigates allegations

of forced labor related to U.S. importations. CBP issues withhold release orders (WRO)—commonly referred

to as detention orders—whereby CBP prevents the release of imported goods if it receives or develops

information that reasonably, but not conclusively, indicates that merchandise made wholly or in part with

forced labor is, or is likely to be, imported. CBP shares information on compliance with forced labor

prohibitions via public messaging, engaging with private sector advisory committees, and conducting

compliance trainings. CBP supports other DHS Components with trade analysis in furtherance of forced labor

enforcement. Information on CBP forced labor programs, information for importer due diligence, and

submission of allegations are publicly available on CBP’s website. CBP collaborates with domestic and

international partners to develop enforcement cases and has broad engagement with stakeholders on these

cases. Removing in March 2016 the “consumptive demand” clause from the Tariff Act of 1930 provided CBP

and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with enhanced enforcement potential and led CBP to refocus

resources to effectively enforce this prohibition. The CBP Forced Labor Division coordinates with its

partners, such as ICE, to enforce the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act Section 321,

which prohibits the importation of goods manufactured, mined, or produced by North Korean citizens or

nationals anywhere in the world.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO)

Operation Sex Offender Alien Removal (SOAR): Operation SOAR targets criminal aliens convicted of sex

offenses in daily enforcement operations and surge operations, and then removes them from communities.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)

Angel Watch Center (AWC): ICE HSI’s Child Exploitation Investigations Unit (CEIU) manages the Angel

Watch Center as a joint effort with CBP and the U.S. Marshals Service. The AWC targets individuals

previously convicted of sexual crimes against a child who may pose a potential new threat: traveling overseas

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for the purpose of sexually abusing or exploiting minors, a crime known as transnational child sexual abuse.

Using flight data, the National Sex Offender Registry, and publicly available state sex offender websites,

CEIU and CBP identify and alert foreign law enforcement, through ICE attaché offices or CBP joint

partnerships, of offenders pending arrival to their country.

Armor: To address the inherent occupational stressors of DHS personnel involved in child exploitation

investigations, the ICE Director of Resilience developed and launched this model resiliency program. Armor

is an extension of the peer support program and incorporates specific psychoeducation elements designed to:

increase awareness of secondary trauma, reduce mental health stigma/increase help-seeking behavior and

foster strength-based skill development to buffer the deleterious effects of job demand tasks. The program

also endorses suitability screening to help determine personnel most appropriate for this type of work.

Child Exploitation Investigations Unit (CEIU): ICE HSI’s Child Exploitation Investigations Unit manages

Operation Predator, which investigates, interdicts, and refers for prosecution individuals involved in the

possession, receipt, distribution, transportation, advertisement, and production of child pornography or

engaged in illicit sexual conduct with minors, even if only traveling to a foreign country with the intent to do

so. CEIU conducts large scale, international investigations of exploited Internet technology and services and

provides technical and operational support to the field. ICE HSI’s National Victim Identification Program at

its Cyber Crimes Center employs the latest technology in investigations to rescue child victims of sexual

exploitation.

CEIU leverages national and international investigative assets, global law enforcement partnerships,

and relationships with private industry to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks. ICE HSI participates on

all 61 Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Forces across the United States. CEIU partners with the

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to help rescue sexually exploited children and

apprehend offenders. ICE HSI represents the United States at the INTERPOL working group locating new

online child sex abuse material and refers cases to the country where the abuse is believed to be occurring for

further investigation. ICE HSI is a founding member and previous chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce to

combat transnational child sexual exploitation through a global collection of law enforcement agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and private sector partners.

Several laws support ICE HSI efforts to see that sexual predators who harm children will be held

accountable, such as the Mann Act, the 1994 Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Act, the 2003 Protect Act, and

the 2006 Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. Federal law bars U.S. residents from engaging in

sexual or pornographic activities anywhere in the world with a child under the age of 18. Penalties include up

to 30 years in prison for the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child pornography; up to 30 years in

prison for traveling abroad for purposes of engaging in illicit sexual activity with a child, facilitating sex with

children, or participating in these crimes; and up to a life sentence for trafficking children for commercial sex.

Convicted Sex Offender (CSO) Data Sharing Project: In an effort to increase criminal information sharing

among the Five Eye (FVEY) international government partners (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United

Kingdom, and United States), ICE began sharing biometric and biographic information on third-country

nationals who have been removed from the United States based on a sex offense conviction. ICE is leveraging

the Visa and Immigration Information Sharing and Preventing and Combating Serious Crime Agreements via

the Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT) and the Secure Real Time Platform to share CSO

data. A joint effort is underway among the National Targeting Center, ICE HSI, ICE ERO, and the U.S.

Marshals Service to protect vulnerable populations domestically and abroad. The National Targeting Center

now places alerts in the TECS system on FVEY-provided CSO records for third-country nationals. This

information sharing effort will enhance multiple operational areas to include exclusion at the border, incountry case work for DHS attachés, priority targets for removal (if back in the United States), prosecution

for Adam Walsh Act violations, fraud investigations, and human trafficking investigations.

Forced Labor Program: ICE HSI investigates allegations of goods, wares, articles, and merchandise being

manufactured, mined, or produced wholly or in part in any foreign country by forced, convict, or indentured

labor imported into the United Statesin violation of law. ICE HSI initiates and coordinatesthese investigations

with interagency partners. ICE HSI obtains information about goods produced with overseas forced labor and

attempting entry into the United States by working with trade associations, foreign embassies, corporations,

foreign government officials, and civil society organizations.

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Human Exploitation Rescue Operative (HERO) Child Rescue Corps Program: The HERO Child Rescue

Corps program trains injured or ill Special Operations Forces in high-tech computer forensics and law

enforcement skills to assist federal agents in the fight against online child sexual exploitation. This program

was established in April 2013 in partnership with the U.S. Special Operations Command and the National

Association to Protect Children (PROTECT). The HEROs first attend three weeks of training with PROTECT

to understand the impact of the child exploitation crimes and then attend seven weeks of training in computer

forensic analysis and digital evidence collection at HSI’s Cyber Crimes Center. Following training, HEROs

serve in HSI offices nationwide in the Child Exploitation Investigation and Computer Forensic Units. Upon

successful completion of the program, HEROs have the knowledge, skills, and experience to apply for careers

with federal, state, and local police agencies and other organizations in the field of computer forensics.

The Human Trafficking Training Program (HTTP), ICE HSI: The Human Trafficking Training Program is an

advanced, six-day course sponsored by the HSI Academy in partnership with the Human Trafficking Unit.

Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) offered the course once in Fiscal Year 2019 and is

scheduled to offer it twice in Fiscal Year 2020. Special Agents, analysts, task force officers, and partner

agency representatives working human trafficking cases are invited to attend. The curriculum covers

investigative techniques, current trends, resource availability and utilization, victim resources, and partner

agency assistance.

Human Trafficking Unit (HTU): The Human Trafficking Unit supports ICE HSI’s anti-human trafficking

mission to (1) proactively identify, disrupt, and dismantle cross-border human trafficking organizations and

minimize the risk they pose to national security and public safety; and (2) employ a victim-centered approach,

whereby equal value is placed on the identification and stabilization of victims and on the deterrence,

investigation, and prosecution of traffickers. The HTU provides programmatic and operational support,

interagency and intra-agency coordination, domestic and foreign law enforcement training, and partnering

with the DHS Blue Campaign on public awareness to generate leads. The HTU works closely with other ICE

entities, such as the Victim Assistance Program, the Parole and Law Enforcement Programs Unit, the Tipline,

the Office of Intelligence, and the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor.

iGuardian, ICE HSI: Project iGuardian educates children, teens, and parents about online safety and aims to

keep children and teens safe from online sexual predators. The project is an outreach effort to share

information about the dangers of online environments, how to stay safe online, and how to report abuse and

suspicious activity. The iGuardians TM team provides kids safety tips, a number to call, and a website with

links to more information and resources.

Victim Assistance Program (VAP), ICE HSI: The Victim Assistance Program provides a critical resource to

ICE HSI investigations and criminal prosecutions by ensuring that victims can participate actively and fully

in the criminal justice system process. VAP personnel have been utilizing the victim-centered approach since

the inception of the program in 2008. VAP responds to a wide range of federal crimes, including human

trafficking, child pornography, transnational child sexual abuse, white collar crime, and human rights abuse.

Victim Assistance Specialists provide information to victims as well as referrals to non-governmental

organizations providing services. Additionally, Forensic Interview Specialists conduct victim-centered and

legally defensible forensic interviews. The ICE VAP can be reached at 1-866-872-4973 or

VictimAssistance.ICE@ice.dhs.gov.

Office of Partnerships and Engagement (OPE)

Blue Campaign: The Blue Campaign, created in 2010, is a national public awareness effort designed to combat

human trafficking. The Blue Campaign educates members of vulnerable communities on the threat of

trafficking and how to protect themselves. The campaign also worksto protect victims by educating the public,

law enforcement, and industry partners to recognize and respond appropriately to the indicators of human

trafficking. The Blue Campaign works with its stakeholders and partners to develop educational awareness

products (such as information sheets, pamphlets, cards, posters, infographics and toolkits), training tools and

public service announcements. Many products are available in multiple languages. One of the lines of effort

within the DHS Blue Campaign is the Blue Lightning Initiative (BLI), a joint initiative led by U.S. Customs

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and Border Protection and the U.S. Department of Transportation. BLI trains U.S. commercial airlines and

their employees to identify potential human trafficking victims and then notify federal authorities.

U.S. Secret Service (USSS)

Childhood Smart Program: This program educates parents and children about online and personal safety.

Ensuring this safety is a responsibility shared broadly among parents, teachers, government, and communities.

As such, child safety experts at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) created

educational resources for parents and K-12 students and the Secret Service helps to disseminate these

resources through its “Ambassadors Program.” The Secret Services recruits and trains employees who act as

Ambassadors for the Childhood Smart Program. Ambassadors nationwide deliver these free prevention

materials to children and parents in various educational settings, such as classrooms, parent-teacher

organization meetings, and community action events.

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ENTITIES SUPPORTING EFFORTS TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING,

THE IMPORTATION OF GOODS PRODUCED WITH FORCED LABOR,

AND CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION

U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS)

Fraud Detection & National Security (FDNS) Directorate: USCIS advances efforts to combat transnational

organized crime primarily through proactive biometric and biographic information-sharing with partners.

USCIS, through its adjudication of immigration benefits, is an end-user of such shared information from

partners. USCIS may also provide additional identifying data elements it obtains from individuals applying

for immigration-related benefits while maintaining confidentiality of protected classes as required by law and

regulation. FDNS facilitatesthe identification of foreign nationals, determines and verifiesimmigration status,

and reviews immigration applications, petitions, and requests to identify threats to national security and public

safety, detect and combat immigration benefit fraud, and maximize law enforcement and Intelligence

Community partnerships. FDNS reviews can reveal connections to other foreign nationals affiliated with a

transnational criminal organization, such as human traffickers and those who sexually exploit children. FDNS

participates on various task forces, including local ICE HSI Documents and Benefits Fraud Task Forces, local

FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces, and the DHS JTF-W and JTF-I. FDNS supports ICE HSI's Human

Trafficking Unit with a full-time, on-site liaison.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

Office of Field Operations (OFO): The Office of Field Operations is responsible for border security at U.S.

ports of entry by utilizing physical inspection, technology, and canine teams to detect illicit activity. CBP

officers at ports of entry conduct inspection of all persons arriving to the US and are trained to interview,

observe, detect and recognize signs of potential fraud, human trafficking, and human smuggling during their

inspectional duties, at air, land and seaports. When certain human trafficking indicators are suspected or found

during an immigration inspection, a more secured secondary interview will be conducted and coordinated

with ICE/HSI.

U.S. Border Patrol (USBP): U.S. Border Patrol is responsible for patrolling the 6,000 miles of land border

and 2,000 miles of coastal waters between ports of entry. USBP works closely with federal, state, local, tribal,

and territorial partnersto advance the common goal of disrupting and degrading transnational organized crime

activity. USBP achieves this mission by using intelligence to analyze transnational organized crime threats,

conducting joint interagency operations, and integrating with investigative units to conduct targeted

enforcement activities. Additionally, USBP deploys a consequence delivery system to guide agents to evaluate

each apprehended individual and identify the most effective and efficient consequence to break the smuggling

cycle.

Air and Marine Operations (AMO): Air and Marine Operations applies advanced aeronautical, maritime, and

domain awareness capabilities to secure the Nation’s borders from threats posed by transnational organized

crime. AMO has three lines of effort. First, AMO conducts interdiction operations to intercept, apprehend,

and disrupt threats in the land, sea, and air domains as they move toward or across our borders. Second, AMO

conducts investigations in the air and maritime domains to disrupt criminal networks. Finally, AMO creates

domain awareness by utilizing sensors deployed on aircraft and vessels, as well as land-based persistent widearea surveillance systems. These technologies are used in combination with intelligence, law enforcement

case work, and open source information.

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National Targeting Center (NTC): The CBP-led National Targeting Center identifies high-risk people and

cargo in the air, land, and sea environments before entering and leaving the United States. High-risk people

and cargo includes being potentially connected to terrorism or other transnational crimes, such as narcotics

smuggling, human trafficking, merchandise counterfeiting, and money laundering. More than twenty U.S.

government and foreign partner organizations are co-located at the facility. CBP implemented a counternetwork approach to evolve beyond traditional, transactional responses to threats posed by transnational

criminal organizations and instead facilitate a proactive posture that combats them in a systematic and

collaborative manner. The intent is to leverage CBP data – such as trade, travel, and other information derived

from border security activities – and better synthesize it with partner information to analyze threats and

identify options for intelligence-driven, risk-based, threat mitigation responses.

National Targeting Center-Investigations (NTC-I): Since 2013, ICE has participated at CBP’s NTC

through the NTC-I program. ICE HSI's collaboration at NTC supports the entire border security

continuum, from CBP interdictions and ICE HSI investigations, to the joint exploitation of law

enforcement intelligence. NTC-I plays a critical role in identifying and investigating transnational

criminal organizations and their attempts to undermine DHS's border security efforts, particularly when it

comes to financial and trade schemes. The quantity and quality of investigative referrals and intelligence

received from ICE HSI's foreign and domestic field offices have solidified ICE HSI presence at the NTC,

making the collaborative work with CBP a staple for all ICE HSI significant investigations. NTC-I has

also augmented ICE HSI Headquarters’ programmatic efforts regarding financial crimes, gang

enforcement, contraband smuggling, intellectual property rights, counter-proliferation, and human

trafficking.

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)

Under 6 U.S. Code Section 468, the USCG conducts Homeland Security operations throughout the globe to

deter and counter illicit activity that threatens the United States. Operational areas susceptible to trafficking

in persons include drug and migrant smuggling interdictions and fisheries law enforcement. These operations

occur onboard U.S. flagged vessels or foreign flagged vessels subject to U.S. jurisdiction or under

international agreements and customary international law as well as in international and domestic waters. The

USCG, among other U.S. maritime enforcement agencies, provides first-line interactions with vessels and

persons attempting to or conducting illicit activity in the maritime domain.

Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC)

All of FLETC’s Basic Law Enforcement Training Programs for criminal investigators, uniformed police, and

land management police include human trafficking awareness training. This training defines human

trafficking, reviews applicable criminal laws, describes current trends and indicators, and details investigative

responses. This training also incorporates a Human Trafficking Awareness training video developed in

collaboration with the Blue Campaign.

FLETC also works with the Blue Campaign to provide human-trafficking-related training for state, local,

and tribal law enforcement professionals who are already established in their careers via in-service and online

training methods. During the 5th Session of the Department of Homeland Security Leadership Academy

(DHSLA) conducted from May 14 – 24, 2018, FLETC included a human trafficking overview. Participants

included 25 law enforcement executives representing 18 states, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and

American Samoa. FLETC hosted the 6th Session of the DHSLA from December 4 – 14, 2018, with 24

command-level officers representing 20 states and one U.S. territory attending. FLETC hosted the 7th Session

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of the DHSLA from April 30 – May 10, 2019 with 29 command-level officers representing 20 states and one

U.S. territory attending. The DHSLA is the result of a shared vision of FLETC and the National Sheriffs’

Association to establish a professional development venue for state, local, and tribal law enforcement leaders

to explore contemporary issues impacting homeland security and law enforcement operations.

FLETC presented the second pilot of the Human Trafficking Awareness Training Program (HTAT) on

September 24-25, 2019, in Glynco, GA. The pilot’s purpose is to train law enforcement and other industry

partners to recognize the indicators and to respond appropriately to suspected cases of human trafficking. The

HTAT is a one-day program that provides students with an in-depth understanding of current indicators that

law enforcement and the private sector may observe in industries known for human trafficking. Current

immigration relief policies for victims are also covered. The training is classroom oriented with witness

accounts, case studies, videos, and student-centered learning activities to enhance the learning experience.

Additionally, FLETC has worked closely with the Office of Legislative Affairs to help increase awareness

among Members of Congress and their staff, through informational briefings and participation in field

trainings for state, local, and tribal law enforcement hosted by congressional offices nationwide.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

FEMA’s primary purpose is to coordinate the response to a disaster that has occurred in the United States and

that overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities. FEMA’s Strategic Plan developed with input

from state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, non-governmental organizations, and private sector

stakeholders creates a shared vision for the field of emergency management.

Its first responders are well-positioned to identify and assist victims of crime. In support of DHS

efforts to combat human trafficking and child exploitation, FEMA provides all employees with training and

resources to recognize and report suspected activity. In Fiscal Year 2019, FEMA added the “How to Report”

tile to the main FEMA intranet page to simplify reporting. FEMA’s Office of Law Enforcement Engagement

and Integration added several DHS links on its intranet webpage to videos, training, and resources to identify

and report suspected human trafficking.

FEMA partners with faith and community leaders through the DHS Center for Faith and Opportunity

Initiatives to provide training, technical assistance, and federal resources to identify the signs of human

trafficking and provide trauma-responsive approaches to survivors. The Center seeks to strengthen

partnerships with law enforcement, social service and mental health providers and academia in support of the

whole community. Together with the DHS Blue Campaign, the Center developed the Faith-Based and

Community Toolkit, a human trafficking resource for the faith community. This toolkit provides tips and

resources to engage houses of worship and the community on human trafficking awareness and response.

FEMA, in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, provides technical

assistance at the request of a state, local, tribal, or territorial government to support the reunification of

children under 21 years of age with their parent or legal guardian if they are separated as a result of a disaster.

FEMA and the DHS Blue Campaign have collaborated to support the inclusion of human trafficking

awareness indicators into the American Red Cross’s internal reunification and sheltering guidance.

FEMA is revising internal messaging to include posted notices to support the identification and

reporting of suspect human trafficking or child sexual exploitation in FEMA Regional and Joint Field Offices

and throughout FEMA headquarters. Additionally, FEMA will include information on combating human

trafficking and child sexual exploitation in distributed monthly newsletters to the workforce.

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

ICE is the primary investigative Component of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE’s mission is to

protect America from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration that threaten national security and public

safety. ICE investigates and enforces more than 400 federal statutes governing border control, customs, trade,

and immigration. ICE is also at the forefront of enforcing these laws in cyberspace. Created in 2003 through

a merger of the investigative and interior enforcement elements of the former U.S. Customs Service and the

Immigration and Naturalization Service, ICE now has more than 20,000 employees in more than 400 offices

in the United States and 50 foreign countries. ICE has an annual budget of approximately $7 billion, primarily

devoted to two operational directorates — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and Homeland

Security Investigations (HSI). These two operational directorates are supported by Management and

Administration (M&A) and the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA).

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)

ICE HSI has primary jurisdiction among all federal law enforcement agencies to investigate violations of law

involving the movement of people and goods into and out of the United States. HSI investigates issues such

as immigration crime; human rights violations; human smuggling; smuggling of narcotics, weapons and other

types of contraband; human trafficking; child pornography; financial crimes; cybercrime; export control

violations; and critical infrastructure industries vulnerable to sabotage, attack or exploitation. In addition to

HSI criminal investigations, HSI oversees ICE's international affairs, operations, and intelligence functions.

HSI consists of more than 10,000 employees, of whom 6,700 are special agents, who are assigned to more

than 200 U.S. cities and 50 countries around the world.

Parole and Law Enforcement Programs Unit (PLEPU): PLEPU adjudicates requests to parole an alien

into the United States to serve a significant public benefit to the U.S. Government and serves as the HSI

point of contact for all S-visa and witness security matters. Significant public benefit parole (SPBP)

provides a mechanism of entry into the United States for otherwise inadmissible aliens to serve a

significant public benefit, including to support law enforcement in functioning as a confidential informant

or material witness or appearing as a defendant in a criminal trial. SPBP does not constitute an admission

and confers only temporary authorization for an inadmissible alien to be considered lawfully present in

the United States. PLEPU also adjudicates Continued Presence (CP) requests. CP is a discretionary law

enforcement tool that authorizes a victim of a “severe form of trafficking” to remain in the United States

to facilitate an investigation or prosecution of human trafficking-related crimes. CP provides temporary

relief from removal, allows victims of severe forms of trafficking to receive authorization to work in the

United States, and may permit them to receive access to public benefits and services. HSI adjudicates all

SPBP and CP applications from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

ICE Tip Line: Law enforcement agencies and the public may report suspected violations of HSIinvestigated immigration and customs laws to the ICE Tip Line. All Tip Line staff members receive indepth training on defining and differentiating human trafficking and human smuggling and recognizing

specific human trafficking indicators. Intake information is coordinated with ICE field offices, HSI

Investigative Programs, and Blue Lightning Initiative partners as appropriate in each circumstance. ICE

Tip Line personnel take reports 24 hours per day, 365 days per year and receive over 100,000 leads

annually on human trafficking, crimes against children, and other crimes. The ICE Tip Line can be reached

at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) from the United States and Canada or at 1-802-872-6199 from other

locations around the globe.

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Cyber Crimes Center (C3): ICE HSI’s Cyber Crimes Center oversees and coordinates investigations of

cyber-related criminal activity, bringing together all cyber investigations with computer forensics assets

in one location. C3 is home to the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit, the Computer Forensics Unit,

and the Cyber Crimes Unit.

The Cyber Crimes Unit supports investigations into transnational organized cybercrime exploiting

the convenience and anonymity of the internet to commit crimes such as identity theft, document fraud,

money laundering, narcotics smuggling, child exploitation, and online theft of intellectual property and

export-controlled data. The Cyber Crimes Unit provides training, investigative support, and expertise to

HSI field offices in emerging cyber technologies.

The Computer Forensics Unit has personnel trained to perform forensic examinations of seized

digital storage devices and media, such as computer hard drives, flash drives, personal digital assistants,

mobile phones, DVDs, CDs, tablets, and tape media. The use of devices has greatly increased the volume

of data that HSI Special Agents must examine during an investigation. HSI investigators manage digital

evidence that is highly volatile, mobile, and subject to encryption, adding to the challenge of recovery and

stewardship of evidence. Computer Forensics Unit personnel use all available digital evidence recovery

techniques to preserve an item's authenticity and integrity while maintaining a strict chain of custody.

Computer Forensics personnel are located in HSI offices throughout the world to provide their expertise

and are often called upon to furnish computer forensics expert testimony in criminal trials and provide

support to state and local law enforcement.

Border Enforcement Security Task Forces (BESTs): Through ICE HSI’s Contraband Smuggling Unit,

Border Enforcement Security Task Forces work to combat emerging and existing transnational criminal

organizations by employing the full range of federal, state, local, tribal, and international law enforcement

resources in the fight to identify, investigate, disrupt, and dismantle these organizations at every level of

operation along U.S. international borders (land, sea, and air). The BEST investigative model is a

comprehensive response to the growing threat to border security, public safety, and national security.

BESTs eliminate the barriers between federal, state, and local prosecutors and law enforcement officers

as well as international partners in multinational criminal investigations. ICE currently operates BESTs in

63 U.S. locations, leveraging the participation of more than 1,000 members representing over 150 federal,

state, local, tribal, and international law enforcement agencies. In response to the opioid crisis, ICE HSI

has established a BEST unit at the Memphis International Mail Facility (IMF), with a primary mission of

opening investigations related to shipments found to contain opioids. Moreover, ICE HSI has utilized this

IMF model to establish additional BEST units at the Los Angeles International Airport and John F.

Kennedy International Airport in New York.

Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO)

ERO’s mission is to identify, arrest, and remove aliens who present a danger to national security or are a risk

to public safety, as well as those who enter the United States illegally or otherwise undermine the integrity of

our immigration laws and border control efforts. ERO oversees programs and conducts operations to identify

and apprehend removable aliens, to detain these individuals when necessary, and to remove illegal aliens from

the United States. ERO prioritizes the apprehension, arrest, and removal of convicted criminals, those who

pose a threat to nationalsecurity, fugitives, recent border entrants, and aliens who thwart immigration controls.

ERO manages all logistical aspects of the removal process, including domestic transportation, detention,

alternatives to detention programs, bond management, and supervised release. In addition, ERO repatriates

aliens ordered removed from the United States to more than 170 countries around the world. Comprising six

headquarters divisions and 24 Field Offices, ERO consists of 7,621 employees and manages a budget of

approximately $4.1 billion.

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Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement (SAFE) Program: The ICE ERO-led SAFE initiative is an

information sharing partnership between ERO and foreign law enforcement partners regarding fugitives

named in active criminal arrest warrants in their home nations and who are amenable to removal

proceedings in the United States. After instituting this information sharing program, ICE was able to

remove criminals it had previously deemed non-criminal without access to foreign law enforcement

information. In Fiscal Year 2018, SAFE facilitated the identification, arrest, and removal of 138 criminal

fugitives to El Salvador, 185 criminal fugitives to Honduras, and 145 criminal fugitives to Guatemala. In

September 2018, ERO authorized the SAFE program to expand to more countries.

The Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC): LESC provideslaw enforcement agents with data, criminal

intelligence, and other person-centric information regarding immigration status and criminal history of

persons under investigation, in custody, or otherwise encountered. LESC operates 24 hours per day, 365

days per year. Using the full range of DHS indices, along with other federal databases and intelligence

resources, LESC supports federal,state, local, tribal, and international law enforcement partners, including

INTERPOL and ICE Attaché offices. LESC also manages the administration of ICE records within the

National Crime Information Center (NCIC). LESC furthers the prevention of gun violence through

providing immigration status information to FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System for

federal background checks on firearms purchases.

Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA)

The Office of the Principal Legal Advisor is the largest legal program in DHS with over 1,000 attorneys.

Pursuant to statute, OPLA serves as the exclusive representative of DHS in removal proceedings before the

Executive Office for Immigration Review litigating cases involving criminal aliens, terrorists, human

traffickers, human rights abusers, and other priority aliens. OPLA also provides a full range of legal services

to all ICE programs and offices. OPLA attorneys support the U.S. Department of Justice in the prosecution

of ICE cases. In addition to Headquarters in Washington, D.C., OPLA has 25 Offices of Chief Counsel in

more than 60 locations throughout the United States.

Human Rights Law Section of the Homeland Security Investigations Law Division provides counsel

on HSI’s human trafficking investigations, both sex trafficking and forced labor. The Criminal Law Section

of the Homeland Security Investigations Law Division provides counsel on a range of HSI-related matters

including, but not limited to, investigations pertaining to importations of forced labor-made goods and other

customs violations, child sexual exploitation, financial crime, contraband smuggling, and cybercrime. The

Commercial and Administrative Law Division provides counsel on the use of suspension and debarment to

preclude traffickers from receiving federal contracts and certain forms of non-procurement transactions, such

as grants and loans.

ICE’s Most Wanted Program

ICE’s Most Wanted Program aids ICE in locating and arresting dangerous fugitives and at-large criminal

aliens, develops community support by improving visibility and fostering awareness of ICE’s public safety

mission, and builds cooperative relationships with law enforcement partnersthrough the exchange of mutually

beneficial information aimed at removing these threats from local communities. The program’s website lists

wanted fugitives and at-large criminal aliens from ICE’s two operational agencies, HSI and ERO, but also has

a separate list of those most wanted in the category of human trafficking.

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DHS Joint Task Forces (JTFs)

There are three JTFs: East, West, and Investigations. JTF East (JTF-E) and JTF West (JTF-W) are

geographically focused. JTF Investigations (JTF-I) is functionally focused. All three JTFs incorporate

elements of the USCG, CBP, and ICE. As necessary, they also integrate capabilities from other DHS

Components; federal departments and agencies; and international,state, and local partners. The DHS Southern

Border and Approaches Campaign Plan (SBACP) directs JTFs to execute integrated joint operations to

disrupt, degrade, and ultimately dismantle transnational criminal organizations that conduct illicit activity

such as human smuggling and trafficking. The SBACP directs how DHS uses a joint integrated approach to

secure the southern border and approaches to the United States.

JTF-East: Integrates and executes prioritized DHS counter-transnational organized crime operations and

coordinates cross-departmental contingency operations through unity of effort within the JTF-E Joint

Operating Area to secure the southern border and approaches. JTF-E headquarters is in Portsmouth,

Virginia. USCG is the executive agent for JTF-E.

JTF-West: Protects the American public along the Southwest border and littorals. JTF-W coordinates with

domestic and international partners to prioritize threats and conducts intelligence driven counter-network

operations to disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organizations and illicit networks that

undermine border security. JTF-W headquarters is in San Antonio, Texas. CBP is the executive agent for

JTF-W.

JTF-Investigations: Facilitates complex counter-network investigations in support of the DHS SBACP.

The objective is dismantling, and preventing the reconstitution of, transnational criminal networks

operating within the SBA. JTF-I supports the overall DHS mission, by focusing, enhancing, and

integrating criminal investigations (threats and problems that JTF-E, JTF-W, and the DHS Components

assess as the most urgent and important to address). To align investigations and investigative support to

these Department level operational priorities, JTF-I leads and implements the Homeland Criminal

Organizational Target (HOMECORT) process. JTF-I headquarters is in Washington, DC. ICE is the

executive agent for JTF-I.

Management Directorate (MGMT)

The Chief Procurement Officer leads nine Heads of Contracting Activities who support DHS Components,

Directorates, and Offices. Within these offices, more than 1,300 procurement personnel are responsible for

purchasing products and services needed to enable the mission of DHS. Through training of the acquisition

workforce, DHS increases awareness and understanding of U.S. Government policy prohibiting trafficking in

persons, including trafficking-related activitiesthat may occur under government contracts. DHS procurement

personnel are required to complete a two-hour training module that defines and identifies forms of human

trafficking, describes vulnerable populations, explains indicators of human trafficking, and articulates specific

remedies available to the government if contractors or contractor employees engage in human trafficking or

trafficking-related activities. Additionally, staff in the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer participate in

interagency working groups, committees, and campaigns that work to strengthen protections under federal

contracts against trafficking in persons.

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Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman)

The CIS Ombudsman advances efforts to combat human trafficking and child exploitation through its case

assistance and recommendations for improvements on the delivery of immigration benefits and services. A

victim of human trafficking or child exploitation can request assistance, especially in an emergency situation,

with the CIS Ombudsman over phone or email when encountering difficulty with U.S. Citizenship and

Immigration Services (USCIS). The CIS Ombudsman provides impartial, independent, and confidential

assistance in resolving problems with USCIS. The CIS Ombudsman also issues formal recommendations to

improve USCIS humanitarian programs, including those that victims of human trafficking and child

exploitation use to obtain lawful status, such as U or T nonimmigrant visas. Past recommendations have

highlighted administrative challenges and provided USCIS the opportunity to improve its operations to better

serve vulnerable applicants.

Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL)

CRCL reviews relevant policies and programs to help ensure that the civil rights and civil liberties of human

trafficking victims are protected across the Department. CRCL co-leads the DHS Council on Combating

Violence Against Women (CCVAW), which coordinates the Department’s efforts to stop crimes against

women and ensure the effective administration of laws to that effect, including those governing human

trafficking. CRCL is also at the forefront of an interagency effort to mitigate the risk of human trafficking

following a natural disaster. In addition to its policy work, CRCL works closely with DHS Components and

the DHS Blue Campaign to provide input on public awareness materials and human trafficking-related

training courses for public sector employees, and raise awareness of human trafficking indicators. CRCL has

also worked to raise concerns about the risk of human trafficking in specific industries, such as on fishing

vessels.

DHS Office of Intelligence & Analysis (I&A)

In an effort to transform the DHS Intelligence Enterprise (IE) into a fully synchronized, cohesive enterprise

that fuses intelligence, operational information, disciplines, and activities to drive actions that effectively

neutralize Homeland threats, the DHS Chief Intelligence Officer (CINT)/Under Secretary for Intelligence and

Analysis (USIA) realigned DHS I&A resources under a federated Mission Center construct. When it reaches

full operational capability, the Transnational Organized Crime Mission Center will coordinate the production

of strategic intelligence that identifies criminal networks, trends, tactics, and patterns relevant to DHS

operational law enforcement missions.

Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA)

OLA, in partnership with OPE, ICE, and FLETC, provides briefings to Members of Congress and staff about

human trafficking and forced labor. During the last five years, DHS has provided more than 200 briefings

designed to educate the congressional community about the crime of human trafficking and its different forms

– sex and labor – and to provide them with a better understanding of the resources that DHS has in place to

assist Congressin raising awareness and combating this crime. Additionally, OLA regularly monitors hearings

and legislation pertaining to human trafficking, often working closely with congressional staff to provide

important input on select draft bills.

OLA has also worked with House and Senate offices to organize and support events nationwide that

help Members of Congress raise awareness of human trafficking, including local roundtables. These events

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provides Members of Congress an opportunity to bring together entire communities to share best practices

and identify new ways to work together with federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement. Supporting these

roundtables helps to connect DHS with state and local law enforcement, as well as concerned groups and

individuals. In recent years, these events were held in Houston, Memphis, Rochester, Miami, Virginia Beach,

and Philadelphia, as well as other cities.

In anticipation of bipartisan interest in this new DHS strategy and its goals, OLA will continue to work

closely with the Blue Campaign and DHS Components to provide regular briefings to individual personal

offices, as well as committees of primary jurisdiction over DHS.

Office for State and Local Law Enforcement (OSLLE)

As part of the Department’s Office of Partnership and Engagement, OSLLE serves as the primary DHS liaison

to state, local, tribal, territorial, and campus (SLTTC) law enforcement agencies and organizations. OSLLE

shares information, resources, and Department initiatives with SLTTC partners, and solicits their input on

DHS policies, programs, and initiatives. OSLLE’s goal is to identify and respond to law enforcement

challenges that affect homeland security. This partnership with state and local law enforcement is firmly

rooted in the Department’s mission areas, to include human trafficking.

OSLLE works with the Blue Campaign to educate law enforcement about the indicators of human

trafficking and how to respond to suspected human trafficking cases by sharing informational products and

training tools and conducting workshops and other engagement activities. OSLLE also engages with its state

and local partners, including the Nation’s 31 border sheriffs, to advance the common goal of disrupting and

dismantling the transnational criminal organizations that engage in human trafficking and other crimes at the

border. OSLLE also works in conjunction with other federal law enforcement and grant making agencies to

provide technical assistance, grants, and other resources to these border communities to address human and

sex trafficking, and to develop task forces to detect, arrest, and prosecute transnational criminals.

Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans (PLCY)

Countering Transnational Organized Crime Policy (CTOC): CTOC, previously Law Enforcement Policy,

was established in September 2014 to centralize and coordinate the management of critical law enforcement

policy issues across DHS. CTOC coordinates extensively within DHS, with other Federal Government

stakeholders, and with foreign partners to advance DHS law enforcement programs and priorities, develop

cross-cutting Department policy, and address the evolving criminal and national security challenges

confronting DHS law enforcement in the field. CTOC is the focal point for coordinating the Department’s

policy and strategy in the combating transnational organized crime, counter-narcotics, human trafficking, and

child sexual exploitation mission spaces. CTOC also routinely engages in traditional law enforcement policy

matters, such as the use of force; recording of custodial interviews; use of confidential informants; law

enforcement deconfliction; reporting of off-duty officer misconduct; international policing/collaboration; and

the application of law enforcement tools and technologies (e.g., body-worn cameras, cell-site simulators, and

smart gun technology requirements).

Border, Immigration and Trade Policy (BIT): BIT manages a standing monthly meeting with the U.S.

interagency working group on forced labor. Numerous U.S. Government entities participate to share

information on their activities relating to forced labor, make connections among U.S. interagency partners,

and identify new opportunities to collaborate on studying, preventing, and enforcing against forced labor. BIT

also advocates for forced labor enforcement and coordinates with the broader USG, including with the White

House, National Security Council, and senior U.S. Government leadership.

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Office of International Affairs (OIA): OIA engages with foreign partners and multilateral organizations to

address trends and responses to human trafficking, the importation of goods produced with forced labor, and

child sexual exploitation. For example, these subjects are routinely on the agenda for multilateral Secretarial

engagements, such as the Five Country Ministerial, the Group of Seven (G7) Security Ministerial, and the

U.S.-European Union Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial. The topics featured prominently on the agenda

for the last Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America. In addition, priorities are advanced

through staff-level international engagements, such as the G7 Roma Lyon Group, Migration Five, and U.S.-

EU Senior Officials Meeting. Bilaterally, OIA regularly discusses these issues with foreign counterparts

worldwide, but particularly in the Western Hemisphere. OIA frequently engages with the Northern Triangle

governments in Central America on anti-trafficking issues. Prior Secretary Nielsen signed a Joint Statement

with the Northern Triangle countries toward a Regional Compact, and one of its pillars is to combat human

trafficking. DHS also engages Canada on ways to continue collaboration on combating human trafficking,

improve Canada’s ability to stop the transit of goods produced with forced labor as agreed to under the U.S.-

Mexico-Canada Agreement, and update its trafficking in persons action plan.

Privacy Office (PRIV)

PRIV works closely with CRCL to fulfill the Department’s commitment to protect the privacy of victims of

human trafficking and other crimes. These victims are eligible for certain immigration protections, such as U

or T nonimmigrant status, and their benefit applications and determinations are protected from disclosure

under 8 U.S.C. § 1367. As part of DHS’s obligation to protect the privacy of victims, the DHS Chief Privacy

Officer is required to review all information sharing and access agreements to ensure that they incorporate

language to protect Section 1367 records. In addition, the DHS Chief Privacy Officer must determine any

potential impacts a privacy incident may have on individuals, including those protected by Section 1367. If a

suspected Section 1367 unauthorized disclosure occurs, PRIV monitors the incident and coordinates its

response with CRCL. A coordinated investigation is launched to ascertain whether there was inappropriate

sharing, whether exceptions apply to the disclosure, or whether enforcement actions should be taken. In

keeping with the Department’s victim-centered approach, PRIV recommended that USCIS increase

transparency through a Privacy Impact Analysis exclusively for Section 1367 information. All Components

must establish, to the fullest extent reasonably practicable, means of identifying individuals protected by

Section 1367 and take steps to safeguard information about them in relevant systems. All the activities noted

above reinforce the importance of 8 U.S.C. § 1367 and demonstrate the significance of safeguards being

implemented to ultimately protect the safety of victims of human trafficking and other crimes.

Science & Technology Directorate (S&T)

S&T performsresearch and development (R&D) in support of DHS operational components and other federal,

state, and local government stakeholders. As part of its mission, S&T conducts studies and R&D in support

of ICE HSI and their efforts to combat human trafficking and child exploitation (war criminals, sexual

exploitation, and child abuse). These efforts will enhance ICE HSI’s ability of to investigate, share, query,

and analyze law enforcement information/data, thereby enabling law enforcement investigations related to

human trafficking, child exploitation, and other crimes. That R&D includes conducting an interactive

mapping of federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, and academia working to combat

human trafficking while also developing a stakeholder-informed technology prototype and recommendations

for additional medium- and long-term, science-based solutions. S&T is focused on research to improve

detection, analysis, and understanding of human trafficking; understand human trafficking as a process and

its impacts on individuals, communities, the United States, and the systems within; and conduct gap analyses

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to identify aspects of human trafficking (victims or perpetrators) in greatest need of empirical research. S&T

is also cooperating with foreign partners to support law enforcement in the investigation of human trafficking

and child sex exploitation. In particular, S&T is working with Five Eyes countries through the Combatting

Child Exploitation Network as a part of the Five Research and Development Council. S&T is also working

with the United Kingdom to test and evaluate software to improve the ability of law enforcement agents to

isolate faces and objects in the seized illicit material for child exploitation and human trafficking.

U.S. Secret Service (USSS)

Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 3056(f), the Secret Service is authorized, at the request of NCMEC or any state

or local law enforcement agency, to provide forensic and investigative assistance in support of any

investigation involving missing or exploited children. Additionally, the Secret Service receives funding

through its annual appropriation of $6,000,000 for a grant for activities related to investigations of missing

and exploited children. Through an interagency agreement with the Department of Justice, the grant funds are

dispersed to NCMEC. Additionally, the Secret Service has developed the Childhood Smart Program, a

prevention education outreach program that serves to educate parents and children regarding trends and tactics

related to child exploitation and abduction. The agency delivers safety resources in schools and communities

throughout the United States by utilizing trained Secret Service employees via its Ambassadors Program.

Transportation and Security Administration (TSA)

Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS): TSA is responsible for aviation security, including all individuals who

may pose a threat to aviation or national security, and for the security of highways, railroads, ports, mass

transit systems, and pipelines. The Federal Air Marshal Service is the law enforcement agency supporting

TSA’s in-flight security and incidents, inquiries, and investigations into insider threats. Federal Air Marshals

are assigned to in-flight security missions on high-risk domestic and international routes. FAMS coordinates

with other law enforcement authorities and supports interdicting transnational organized crime actors

trafficking humans and contraband through commercial aviation or federalized airports. To protect victims

and interdict suspects, FAMS works regularly with CBP, NCMEC, and state and local law enforcement to

identify flights that may be carrying missing or exploited children or suspects of human trafficking.

Security Operations: Security Operations is responsible for security of the nation’s transportation systems to

ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce. This includes checkpoint and baggage screening

operations impacting millions of passengers at approximately 440 airports every day, oversight of more than

280 international airports conducting last points of departure operations to and from the United States, and a

surface network that encompasses freight railroad, passenger rail, mass transit, maritime, and pipelines.

Security Operations is also responsible for ensuring all modes of transportation follow domestic and

international regulatory requirements.

Training and Development: The TSA Human Trafficking Awareness Course, implemented at TSA in 2016,

teaches indicators and uses scenario-based training techniques to help field operators recognize human

trafficking activities and report them through appropriate channels for immediate action. This course is an

annual requirement for the screening workforce, up to and including Assistant Federal Security Directors, as

well as Law Enforcement/FAMS employees and is tailored to their respective roles and responsibilities. This

course satisfies the training requirements set out in Section 902(a) of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking

Act of 2015 (JVTA), 6 U.S.C. § 642(a).

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Global Strategies (GS) Multilateral Engagement Branch (MEB): TSA GS MEB is the DHS representative to

the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Aviation Security Panel, which establishes international

aviation security standards and recommended practices. In May 2018, GS MEB attended a joint forum on the

role of civil aviation stakeholders in eradicating human trafficking convened by ICAO and the Office of the

High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The forum included discussions on establishing common

reporting mechanisms and tools that collect appropriate actionable information. As a member of the RomaLyon Group of Seven (G7) Transportation Security Sub Group (TSSG), GS MEB is the subject matter expert

supporting an Italian-led project to examine the exploitation of transportation security systems by criminal

traffickers, including human traffickers. Under the Asia Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) Aviation

Experts Group (AEG) GS MEB is shaping international aviation security policy in recognizing the impact of

criminal trafficking in building and sustaining an airport security culture to mitigate insider threats.

Civil Rights & Liberties, Ombudsman and Traveler Engagement (CRL/OTE): CRL/OTE is TSA’s liaison to

the DHS Blue Campaign, advising on proposed training and engagement initiatives and hosting annual antislavery and human trafficking programs. Since 2014, CRL/OTE has coordinated discussions among TSA

employees and human trafficking survivors, experts, and law enforcement officials intended to increase

awareness and educate TSA employees on combating these crimes.

In 2015, CRL/OTE published TSA Management Directive (MD) 3700.1, Implementation of Section

1367 Information Provisions, outlining TSA employee responsibilities pursuant to DHS Directive 002-02 and

8 U.S.C. § 1367(d). MD 3700.1 outlines the confidentiality, training, and reporting requirements for TSA

employees that encounter “1367 information,” defined as any information relating to individuals seeking or

who have been approved for immigration status as, among other contexts, victims of a severe form of human

trafficking who generally are cooperating with law enforcement authorities.

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APPENDIX B: GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Child Sexual Abuse Material: Any visual depiction, including any photograph, film, video, picture, or computergenerated image or picture, whether made or produced by electronic, mechanical, or other means, of sexually

explicit conduct, where—the production of such visual depiction involves the use of a minor engaging in sexually

explicit conduct; such visual depiction is a digital image, computer image, or computer-generated image that is,

or is indistinguishable from, that of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct; or such visual depiction has

been created, adapted, or modified to appear that an identifiable minor is engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Child Sexual Exploitation: The sexual exploitation of any child under the age of 18. Child sexual exploitation

includes 1) the possession, receipt, distribution, transportation, advertisement, or production of child sex abuse

material; 2) travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in illicit sexual conduct with any child under the

age of 18; and 3) all other acts involving the sexual abuse of children under the age of 18.

Child Sex Trafficking: Any child (under the age of 18) who has been recruited, enticed, harbored, transported,

provided, obtained, advertised, maintained, patronized, or solicited to engage in a commercial sex act is a victim

of trafficking regardless of whether force, fraud, or coercion is used. The use of children in the commercial sex

trade is prohibited both under U.S. law and by legislation in most countries around the world. [18 U.S.C. Section

1591]

Continued Presence: A temporary immigration status provided to individuals identified by law enforcement as

victims of a “severe forms of trafficking in persons” who may be potential witnesses. Thisstatus allowstrafficking

victims to lawfully remain in the United States temporarily and work during the investigation into the human

trafficking-related crimes committed against them and during any civil action under 18 U.S.C. § 1595 filed by

the victims against their traffickers. Continued Presence is initially granted for two years and may be renewed in

up to two-year increments.

Debt Bondage: U.S. law prohibits the use of a debt as a form of coercion to compel a person’s labor. Some

workers fall victim to traffickers or recruiters who unlawfully exploit an initial debt assumed as a condition of

employment, while in certain countries some workers “inherit” the debt. Although contract violations and

hazardous working conditions for migrant laborers do not in themselves constitute human trafficking, the

imposition of costs and debts on these laborers can contribute to a situation of debt bondage. In other cases,

employment-based temporary work programs in which the workers’ legal status in the country is tied to a

particular employer present challenges to workers who would like to flee from such an employer.

Domestic Servitude: Working in a private residence can create unique vulnerabilities, particularly because what

happens in a private residence often is hidden from the world, and it is easy to isolate a worker in a private

residence. Domestic workplaces are often informal, connected to off-duty living quarters, and not shared with

other workers. Such an environment is conducive to exploitation because authorities cannot inspect private homes

as easily as formal workplaces. The use of informal, or even verbal, employment contracts compounds

vulnerability. Foreign domestic workers are particularly vulnerable to abuse due to factors such as language and

cultural barriers and lack of community ties.

Forced Child Labor: Although children may legally engage in certain forms of work, forms of slavery or slavelike practices – including the sale of children for exploitation, forced or compulsory child labor, and debt bondage

and serfdom of children – continue to exist, despite legal prohibitions and widespread condemnation.

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Goods produced with forced labor, which are prohibited from importation into the United States, are goods, wares,

articles, and merchandise mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in any foreign country by convict

labor or forced labor. This includes forced child labor, prison labor, or slave labor. [19 U.S.C. Section 1307]

Human Trafficking or a "Severe Form of Trafficking in Persons" means:

 sex trafficking (the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing or soliciting

of a person for purposes of commercial sex) in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or

coercion,

o or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or

 the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor orservices, through

the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt

bondage, or slavery. [22 U.S.C. 7102(9)]

Labor Trafficking: Encompasses the range of activities – recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing, or

obtaining – involved when a person uses force or physical threats; psychological coercion; abuse of the legal

process; a scheme, plan, or pattern intended to hold a person in fear of serious harm; or other coercive means to

compel someone to work. Once a person’s labor is obtained by such means, the person’s previous consent or

effort to obtain employment with the trafficker does not preclude the person from being considered a victim, or

the government from prosecuting the offender. U.S. law prohibits the importation of goods produced by forced

labor, including forced child labor; convict labor; and indentured labor under penal sanctions.

Sex Trafficking: When a person is required to engage in a commercial sex act as the result of force, threats of

force, fraud, coercion or any combination of such means, that person is a victim of human trafficking. Under such

circumstances, perpetrators involved in recruiting, enticing, harboring, transporting, providing, obtaining,

advertising, maintaining, patronizing, or soliciting a person for that purpose are guilty of federal sex trafficking

of an adult. This is true even if the victim previously consented to engage in commercial sex. [18 U.S.C. Section

1591]

T Nonimmigrant Status (T visa): Provides immigration protection specifically to eligible victims of a “severe

forms of human trafficking.”10 Eligibility includes that the victim must have complied with any reasonable request

for assistance in a federal, state, or local investigation or prosecution of human trafficking cases. Victims under

the age of 18 and victims unable to cooperate because of physical or psychological trauma are not required to

have complied with any reasonable law enforcement requests for assistance. 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(15)(T); 8 CFR §

214.11

Transnational Child Sexual Abuse (formerly called Child Sex Tourism): Traveling in foreign commerce and

engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a child under the age of 18. Illicit sexual conduct includes commercial sex

with or sexual abuse of anyone under 18, any sex with anyone under 16, and production of child pornography.

10 A severe form of trafficking in persons is defined in 22 U.S.C. 7102(11).

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Trauma-Informed Approach: Trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances experienced

by an individual as physically and emotionally harmful or threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the

individual’s physical, social, emotional, orspiritual well-being. A trauma-informed approach considersthe impact

of, for example, an enforcement action, policy or training, with an understanding of vulnerabilities and

experiences of trauma survivors, including an understanding of the prevalence and physical, social, emotional,

and spiritual impact of trauma. Trauma-informed approaches place priority on restoring the survivor’s feelings of

safety, choice, and control.

U Nonimmigrant Status (U visa): An immigration benefit that is available to victims of certain qualifying crimes

in the United States – including human trafficking – who have been helpful, are being helpful, or are likely to be

helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of the qualifying criminal activity and meet other

requirements. The U visa is a tool intended to strengthen the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate

and prosecute certain types of crimes, while also protecting crime victims and encouraging them to come forward

and assist law enforcement. 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(15)(U); 8 CFR § 214.14

Unlawful Recruitment or Use of Child Soldiers: Child soldiering can be a form of human trafficking when it

involves the unlawful recruitment or use of children – through force, fraud, or coercion – by armed forces as

combatants or to carry out support roles such as cooks, porters, messengers, medics, or guards. Perpetrators may

be government forces, paramilitary organizations, or rebel groups. In addition to being recruited or used for

combat or labor, some child soldiers are sexually abused or exploited by armed groups.

Victim-Centered Approach: Placing the crime victim’s priorities, needs, and interests at the center of the work

with the victim; providing nonjudgmental assistance, with an emphasis on self-determination, and assisting

victims in making informed choices; ensuring that restoring victims’ feelings of safety and security are a priority

and safeguarding against policies and practices that may inadvertently re-traumatize victims. In the context of

enforcement operations, a victim-centered approach means the enforcement agency places equally high value on

the identification, assistance, and protection of victims as on the investigation and prosecution of perpetrators.

Assistance is not tied to prosecution decisions or outcomes or whether victims were forced to commit illegal acts

during their exploitation. This approach is key to the successful investigation and prosecution and ensures that

victims have the right to be informed and have opportunities to participate in their case throughout the judicial

process. A victim-centered approach entails a trauma-informed, survivor-informed and culturally competent

approach.

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APPENDIX C: PRIMARY AUTHORITIES

TRAFFICKING VICTIMS PROTECTION ACT (TVPA)

 Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, Pub. L. No. 106-386 (2000)

 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003, Pub. L. No. 108-193 (2003)

 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005, Pub. L. No. 109-164 (2005)

 William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, Pub. L. No. 110-457

(2008)

 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, Pub. L. No. 113-4 (2013)

 Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2017, Pub. L. No. 115-393 (2018)

 Abolish Human Trafficking Act of 2017, Pub. L. No. 115-392 (2018)

 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2017, Pub. L. No. 115-427 (2019)

 Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2018, Pub. L. No.

115-425 (2019)

CRIMINAL STATUTES

 18 U.S.C. § 1589 – Forced Labor

 18 U.S.C. § 1590 – Trafficking with respect to peonage, slavery, involuntary servitude, or forced labor

 18 U.S.C. § 1591 – Sex trafficking of children or by force, fraud or coercion

 18 U.S.C. § 1761 – Transportation or importation of prison-made goods

 18 U.S.C. § 1956 – Laundering of monetary instruments

 18 U.S.C. § 1963 – RICO Criminal penalties

 18 U.S.C. § 2251 – Sexual exploitation of children

 18 U.S.C. § 2252 – Certain activities relating to material involving the sexual exploitation of minors

 18 U.S.C. § 2252A – Certain activities relating to material involving the sexual exploitation of minors

 18 U.S.C. § 2260 – Production of sexually explicit depictions of a minor for importation into the United

States

 18 U.S.C. § 2422 – Coercion and enticement of minor

 18 U.S.C. § 2423 – Transportation of minors

TRADE AND GOODS PRODUCED WITH FORCED LABOR STATUTES

 Section 307 of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. § 1307)

 Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), Pub. L. No. 115-44 (2017)

REGULATIONS

 8 CFR § 214.11

 8 CFR § 214.14

 FAR Clauses 55.222.-18, -19, and -50

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OTHER KEY MANDATES

 The PROTECT Act, Pub. L. No. 108-21 (2003), created 18 U.S.C. § 2423(c), which targets those U.S.

citizens or aliens admitted for permanent residence in the U.S. who travel abroad for the purpose of

engaging in sex with a minor.

 Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, Pub. L. No. 114-22 (2015)

 International Megan’s Law (IML), Pub. L. No. 114-119 (2016) – Signed into law to prevent child

exploitation and other sexual crimes through advanced notification of traveling sex offenders. IML also

authorized the creation of the Angel Watch Center.

 The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, Pub. L. No. 114-125 (2016) Sec. 903 removed

the consumptive demand clause thereby broadening the potential impact of enforcement actions taken under

the Tariff Act of 1930.

 Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, Pub. L. No. 115-164 (2017)

 Executive Order No. 13126 Prohibition of Acquisition of Products Produced by Forced Labor or Indentured

Child Labor (1999)

 Executive Order No. 13581 Blocking Property of Transnational Criminal Organizations (2011)

 Executive Order No. 13627 Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking in Persons in Federal Contracts

(2012)

 Executive Order No. 13773 Enforcing Federal Law with Respect to Transnational Criminal Organizations

and Preventing International Trafficking (2017)

 Executive Order No. 13818 Blocking the Property of Persons Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse or

Corruption (2017)

 18 U.S.C. § 3056 – Powers, authorities, and duties of United States Secret Service

 22 U.S.C. § 7108 – Actions Against Significant Traffickers in Persons

 31 U.S.C. §§ 5311 – 5332 – Records and Reports on Monetary Instruments Transactions

 Annual appropriation of the United States Secret Service – Grant for activities related to investigations of

missing and exploited children

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