DHS Announces New Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking
On December 3, 2021, The White House released the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, which focuses on four key US and global anti-trafficking efforts: prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships.
The main goals of the action plan are:
- Building DHS capacity and bolstering partnerships with industry to prohibit forced labor in supply chains.
- Developing improvements to prevent human trafficking of foreign workers and students.
- Strengthening efforts by DHS personnel to identify and respond to human trafficking they may encounter in daily work. For example, Transportation Security Officers and U.S. Custom and Border Patrol agents are trained to identify indicators of human trafficking- while interacting with the traveling public at airports and ports of entry.
- Improving access to immigration assistance programs for victims of human trafficking.
- Increasing coordination with law enforcement agencies and the social media and technology industry to hold traffickers accountable and dismantle human trafficking networks.
- Enhancing initiatives that combat forced labor and traffickers’ illicit use of financial systems.