DHS, Houston partner to combat human trafficking

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced this week that it has partnered with the City of Houston and the Houston Airport System (HAS) as a means of combating human trafficking.

The effort stems from the Blue Lightning Initiative (BLI) program, officials said, which is an extension of the DHS Blue Campaign led by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). BLI trains personnel to combat human trafficking within the commercial aviation industry.

“DHS is proud to announce a BLI partnership with the Houston Airport System,” Kaitlin Seale, program manager of the DHS Blue Campaign, said. “Airport employees will play a vital role in combating human trafficking in Houston through identifying possible victims and reporting these suspicions to law enforcement. We look forward to continuing this important relationship and further efforts to combat human trafficking in our
country.”

HAS is the first airport system in the country to become a formal BLI partner.

“The Houston Airport System remains committed to helping our federal partners in their efforts to combat human trafficking,” Mario Diaz, Houston Airport System (HAS) director, said. “The practice of human trafficking is a scourge to humanity and it must end.”

The new partnership with HAS seeks to discourage human trafficking activity and provide training for employees to detect the signs of labor and sex trafficking.