Book Description

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has developed a comprehensive strategy to combat human trafficking through coordination with domestic and foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and law enforcement agencies in order to identify and provide services to trafficking victims and coordinate investigations. DHS' human trafficking strategy is focused on providing a commitment to victim-centered investigations and incorporates a multidisciplinary response. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched the “Blue Campaign” in February of 2010 — a DHS-wide initiative to combat human trafficking through enhanced public awareness, victim assistance programs, and law enforcement training and initiatives. The Blue Campaign encompasses a wide range of anti-trafficking programs designed to engage the American and global public, the Department's federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners, nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations, and governments around the world.2 DHS' Blue Campaign strategy is organized around the "three Ps" of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 20003: Prevention, Protection, and Prosecution. DHS has added a “fourth P” called Partnership in order to assist the department in operationalizing its strategy, focused on the Trafficking Victim's Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA). The purpose of each “P” is as follows: 4 Prevention: To prevent human trafficking, the Department conducts public outreach both domestically and abroad. Domestic public outreach helps identify victims of human trafficking by raising general awareness and encouraging the public to report suspected instances of human trafficking; international public outreach raises awareness among potential trafficking victims seeking employment or other opportunities in the United States, who may fall prey to the lures of human traffickers. Protection: To protect victims, the Department provides immigration assistance in the form of Continued Presence, T visas and U visas; employs Victim Assistance Specialists who work in tandem with law enforcement and non-governmental service providers throughout the country; and actively offers a number of victim assistance materials informing potential victims of their rights and how to receive help if they are violated. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also hosts "Train-the-Trainer" conferences with special agents and collateral duty victim assistance coordinators that cover victim assistance responsibilities for agents. Prosecution: To increase prosecutions of traffickers, the Department trains thousands of federal, state, local and international law enforcement officials annually to recognize the indicators of human trafficking and to conduct successful human trafficking investigations. The Department also pursues an active and aggressive domestic and overseas human trafficking investigations program led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Partnerships: Through the Blue Campaign, the Department works closely with domestic and international partners spanning federal, state, and local government; non-governmental organizations; and the private sector. In addition to directly supporting DHS' Blue Campaign, this effort is relevant to supporting the broader DHS' Mission #2 (Securing and Managing Our Borders) and Mission #3 (Enforcing and Administering Our Immigration Laws), as identified in DHS' 2010 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review. According to Mission Goal 2.3 Disrupt and Dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations, DHS is specifically tasked to: 5