*EPF210 06/15/2004
Text: Homeland Security Agencies Work to Combat Trafficking
(Trafficking networks pursued, exploited victims assisted and protected) (550)

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is being aggressive in its pursuit of networks that engage in trafficking in persons, according to a June 14 statement from the department.

DHS pursues the people and the money involved in human trafficking working through its two immigration-related agencies, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. These agencies also work to protect and assist the exploited victims of human trafficking who are forced or coerced across an international border to work against their will.

DHS described its role as the U.S. Department of State released on June 14 the world's most comprehensive report on trafficking in persons. The survey of trafficking activity in 140 countries estimates that 600,000 to 800,000 victims are trafficked each year.

Following is the text of the DHS backgrounder:

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U.S. Department of Homeland Security

BACKGROUNDER: EFFORTS TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has taken an aggressive approach to the worldwide problem of human trafficking by drawing on the investigative and enforcement tools of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to target the people, money and materials that support criminal trafficking networks, as well as drawing from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' (USCIS) expertise in identifying, protecting and assisting victims by enabling them to live and work legally in the United States while their case is being investigated. USCIS also works with other government agencies to ensure that victims receive the assistance they need while remaining in the U.S.

By attacking trafficking networks, ICE is shutting down vulnerabilities in our immigration system. In one recent case, for example, investigators uncovered a trafficking ring that brought illegal aliens across the U.S.-Mexico border and into trailer "safehouses" where the women were raped repeatedly by the smugglers. As a result, six defendants pled guilty and received sentences ranging from four months to 23 years - the longest sentence received under TVPA to date.

On a global basis, DHS also works to reduce demand in the illicit industries serviced by trafficking networks. ICE foreign attaches in 35 countries work with authorities worldwide to investigate and deter forced child labor. Partnering with international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as part of Operation Predator, DHS is putting law enforcement muscle behind the best efforts of NGOs to stop child sex tourism.

Finally, DHS works to bring relief to those who have suffered the devastating impact of trafficking. Between March 2002 and April 2004, USCIS supplied 371 trafficking victims with T-visas. In the last three years, USCIS completed more than 70 training sessions with prosecutors, local law enforcement and victim advocates to educate them about trafficking issues. Since October 2000, USCIS has issued authorization allowing more than 400 adult trafficking victims to stay in the United States, without fear of deportation, to assist law enforcement authorities in the dismantling of these criminal networks.

ICE

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, responsible for the enforcement of border, economic, infrastructure and transportation security laws. ICE seeks to prevent acts of terrorism by targeting the people, money and materials that support terrorist and criminal activities.

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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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