Last year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reportedly expanded training and education efforts about human trafficking, successfully training more than 275,000 people to recognize the signs and take action.
These findings were documents in the recently released Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT) Annual Report, which detailed the department’s efforts with victim identification and assistance, criminal investigations, civil enforcement actions, intelligence and analysis, training and public education, and external outreach. In all, the CCHT led 135 training and outreach events for the department in 2023, working with a mix of aviation and transportation personnel, law enforcement partners and nonprofit organizations.
Additionally, the DHS public awareness-focused Blue Campaign hosted more than double its Fiscal Year 2022 events, with 194 training events that ultimately brought in more than 19,626 participants from federal government, non-governmental organizations, law enforcement and the general public. At the same time, it launched 63 new partnerships, including with higher education associations.
“Human trafficking is more than a violation of law; the exploitation of vulnerable people is also a violation of our basic humanity,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said. “We are bringing the full weight of our Department’s resources to bear in our fight against this heinous crime, rescuing victims and holding perpetrators accountable. The work of our Center for Countering Human Trafficking brings all of us in the Department together with our partners in communities across the country and the world to achieve this critical mission.”
This work paid off, with DHS reporting arrests of 2,610 individuals for human trafficking-related offenses and the assistance of 731 human trafficking victims. Further, DHS personnel supported more than 1,000 related indictments, leading to 519 convictions. Homeland Security Investigations also undertook more than 2,600 arrests following criminal investigations. U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped 256 shipments of goods – approximately $7 million worth.
“The CCHT Annual report represents more than just statistics and accomplishments,” CCHT Director Cardell Morant said. “This report reflects the continuous commitment of DHS, and our ongoing collaboration with our partners to advance counter-human trafficking law enforcement operations, protect victims and enhance prevention efforts through training and outreach.”