President Trump’s hardline approach to enforcing immigration policies is enhancing the United States’ efforts to end the sex trade and modern-day slavery, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen said Thursday, which was also Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
“Through President Trump’s immigration priorities, we will secure our borders, enforce laws within our country, and create an immigration system that protects the American people. By empowering law enforcement officers to do their jobs and providing them with the resources they need, we can more effectively combat human trafficking,” Nielsen said in a statement.
“Today, we reaffirm our commitment to eradicate modern slavery and human trafficking,” she added. “Human trafficking is the antithesis of everything the free world represents, and the Department of Homeland Security is not standing idly by. In airports, along borders, and in communities across the country, our officers and agents are trained to identify those being victimized by criminals, including transnational criminal organizations.”
.@SecNielsen joins the team wearing blue at the Office of Partnership & Engagement on #HumanTraffickingAwarenessDay to raise awareness to end human trafficking @DHSBlueCampaign pic.twitter.com/XwaKBN4q4G
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 11, 2018
Nielsen met with DHS’s Office Public Engagement Thursday morning and thanked the department’s Blue Campaign for their work raising awareness on the issue. The group, including Nielsen, dressed in blue in honor of “Wear Blue Day.”
During her meeting with lawmakers and Trump at the White House on Tuesday, Nielsen stressed the need to reform existing policy.
“The significant increase over the last month in the number of family units and unaccompanied children coming across the border illegally highlights the dire need for Congress to immediately adopt responsible pro-American immigration reforms,” acting DHS press secretary Tyler Houlton said in a statement. “Current loopholes in our immigration laws have created an incentive for illegal immigrants who knowingly exploit these same loopholes to take advantage of our generosity.”
