Torres Pushes for Increased Funding to Combat Human Trafficking in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties, Nationwide
One January 2017 Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Taskforce operation resulted in 36 arrests for suspected trafficking; Since its creation, the task force has rescued at least 120 children and 42 adult victims
Over the past year, the San Bernardino County Human Trafficking Task Force has made 50 arrests for suspected trafficking
WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-CA) led a bipartisan group of Members of Congress in a letter to the House Committee on Appropriations calling for $50 million in funding nationwide for U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) grant programs that support anti-human trafficking task forces, such as the Los Angeles County Task Force and the San Bernardino County Human Trafficking Task Force.
"Human trafficking is a growing problem in our community and we need to do everything we can to help the victims and go after the perpetrators," Torres said. "That's why increasing funding for efforts like those of the Los Angeles and San Bernardino County task forces are so important. Our local law enforcement officers should have access to the resources they need to fight back against this terrible crime, and collaborate with service providers to help victims recover and rebuild their lives."
In addition to Torres, the letter was signed by Representatives Barbara Comstock (R-VA), Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Randy Weber (R-TX), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), Darren Soto (D-FL), David Scott (D-GA), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Alma Adams (D-NC), and Ted Lieu (D-CA).
Torres is a member of the Speaker's Task Force on Intergovernmental Affairs and the Congressional Human Trafficking Caucus, and Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Budget Task Force. She previously helped secure nearly $70,000 in DOJ grants to combat human trafficking and prostitution in the City of Pomona.
The full text of the letter is below.
Dear Chairman Culberson and Ranking Member Serrano,
As you complete consideration of the Fiscal Year 2018 Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) appropriations bill, and begin work on the Fiscal Year 2019 bill, we write to express our strong support for Department of Justice grant programs that encourage the creation of anti-human trafficking task forces.
Human trafficking is on the rise across the United States. The Polaris Project estimates that the number of human trafficking victims in the United States reaches into the tens of thousands, and the National Human Trafficking Hotline receives as many as 300 reports per day. As law enforcement agencies investigate and prosecute the traffickers, it is essential to simultaneously address the needs of the victims, and to ensure that they do not fall back into the hands of traffickers. Effective partnerships between federal, state, and local law enforcement, together with victim services organizations and community agencies, are essential.
As you know, since 2010, the Office for Victims of Crime and the Bureau of Justice Assistance have provided funding for grants through the "Enhanced Collaborative Model Task Force." These grants have enabled the creation of effective anti-trafficking task forces, such as the Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Taskforce, which was created in November 2015 and is led by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, in partnership with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST). The Los Angeles County Task Force has been remarkably successful. One January 2017 task force operation resulted in 36 arrests for suspected trafficking; since its creation, the task force has rescued at least 120 children and 42 adult victims. It has led to improvements in communication and better cooperation among law enforcement agencies, and between law enforcement and service providers.
We should build on this success by encouraging the development of new task forces, and increasing the capacity of those that already exist. In order to do that, we respectfully request that you provide $50,000,000 in funding for victim services programs for victims of trafficking, which were funded at the level of $45,000,000 in Fiscal Year 2017, in order to expand the size and number of human trafficking task forces that are supported through the Enhanced Collaborative Model Task Force grant program.
Thank you in advance for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,