President Trump is Following Through on His Promise to End Open Borders – Now We Must Work to Eradicate Human Trafficking

It comes as no surprise the Trump administration hit the ground running to tackle illegal immigration.  

According to Department of Defense reports, illegal border crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border are down 94% since January. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed in an X post that a leader of MS-13 and one of the ten most wanted fugitives has been captured and will face justice in the United States.  

To accomplish this, the Trump administration is firing on all cylinders. President Trump leveraged the Alien Enemies Act to deport dangerous illegal immigrants. The U.S. Navy deployed guided missile destroyer USS Gravely, which recently spent time battling the Houthis in the Red Sea, to the southern border.  

The CPAC Center for Combating Human Trafficking applauds these efforts for the impact they are having and will continue to have on ending human trafficking in the United States, but the work must not stop there.  

As a result, we are working tirelessly at all levels of government to enforce our laws, hold traffickers accountable, and support victims. In just the last two weeks, CPAC has engaged in positive discussions with several federal and state leaders on tangible efforts and pieces of legislation directed specifically at human trafficking.  

The CPAC team met with the Office of Public Liaison and the Office of Cabinet Affairs at the White House where we received a commitment to hold public and private events aimed at identifying criminal organizations, supporting survivors, and educating the public on modern day slavery.  

Also at the federal level, the CPAC team worked with Congressional staff to secure plans for the Third Annual International Summit on Human Trafficking to be held on Capitol Hill this summer. For the last two years the International Summit on Human Trafficking has facilitated influential conversations between world leaders on addressing the international humanitarian crisis that is human trafficking. We look forward to holding more pivotal conversations in 2025.  

At the state level, CPAC’s Center for Combating Human Trafficking is finding key partners in Arkansas and Georgia.  

CPAC’s Center for Combating Human Trafficking is working alongside key partners in Arkansas to support the Child Trafficking Victims Protection and Restoration Act. The act would provide criminal and civil protections for children 18 and under who are victims of trafficking and coerced into committing offenses. The Center also spoke with the Georgia State Legislature and Attorney General Chris Carr to support efforts in the Peach State to provide additional funding and staff to the Attorney General’s Anti-Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. 

We are finally seeing the country wake up to the issue of modern day slavery and government leaders taking serious legislative action in-kind. The Center for Combating Human Trafficking urges continued efforts from the White House, Congress, and more states. We hope to see a nationwide commission to end modern day slavery established, the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act passed, and statewide task forces founded to support local leaders and work with the federal commission.  

We look forward to working with elected officials to make these goals a reality and to free victims from their traffickers and offer them the support they need to start a new life. Human trafficking is an epidemic we are confident can be cured and it will take leaders at all levels of government to make this commitment a reality.