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Thank You for Showing Your Support on #WearBlueDay
This #WearBlueDay was one for the books, and Blue Campaign would like to extend a message to everyone involved: Thank you! All over the United States, participants showed their support on Wednesday, January 11 by sporting their favorite blue clothing and sharing photos and videos alongside the hashtag #WearBlueDay. Throughout the month of January, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Blue Campaign and its partners highlighted a variety of resources to help raise awareness of human trafficking, and participants across the nation took the first step toward saving a life by learning more about the crime and how to get their communities involved.
The conversation doesn’t end at the conclusion of National Human Trafficking Prevention Month (HTPM). Make sure to follow Blue Campaign on social media (@DHSBlueCampaign on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram) for the latest information.
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BLI Hosts Intersections of Human Trafficking and International Aviation Roundtable
On January 18, the Blue Lightning Initiative (BLI) hosted an ‘Intersections of Human Trafficking and International Aviation Roundtable’ at the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) building with a goal of educating and motivating international airlines to expand their anti-trafficking efforts. In addition to BLI and benefits of partnership, participants discussed combating human trafficking internationally in the aviation industry.
BLI Recognizes HTPM by Hosting In-Person Aviation Summit
On January 26, BLI, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and DHS Component Agency, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), hosted an in-person ‘Combating Human Trafficking in Aviation’ summit at DHS Headquarters to raise awareness of human trafficking in the aviation sector. The summit, which was attended by 176 BLI partners and aviation industry professionals, discussed human trafficking in aviation and best practices for combating it. Subject matter expert presentations, partner representative panels, lived-experience experts, and more were featured.
Workers at Boston’s Logan International Airport Train to Spot Signs of Human Trafficking
Frontline workers at Boston’s Logan International Airport recently received BLI training on how to spot and stop human trafficking. In an effort to better equip airline employees to help potential victims in crisis, Logan Airport staff and law enforcement learned about what indicators to look for, reporting information, and more. Read the full story here.
Sparrow Underscores the Importance of Human Trafficking Awareness in Private Aviation
Sparrow Executive Jets, a charter brokerage based in New Jersey, is acknowledging the importance of starting the conversation on an uncomfortable subject: human trafficking in private aviation. By partnering with BLI, Sparrow hopes to bring attention to the crime outside of commercial aviation, where awareness gaps may exist due to a broader and less-vetted consumer base. The partnership is in line with BLI’s commitment to training all personnel in aviation settings. Find more information here.
DHS-wide Seminar Hosted by CCHT Brings Experts Together, Educates Employees Department-wide
The 2nd Annual DHS Virtual Human Trafficking Seminar, hosted by the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT) as part of Human Trafficking Prevention Month, took place on January 24 and 25. The event served as a forum for DHS employees to learn about human trafficking and the impact it has on victims, how to recognize the indicators of human trafficking, and find out more about DHS’s own counter-trafficking programs.
Topics included:
- The benefit of interagency cooperation
- The victim-centered approach
- Victim psychology and complex trauma
- Forced labor in the supply chain and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act
- Combating violence against women
The event kicked off with a round table discussion of the CCHT, with each of the components that comprise the CCHT describing their role in countering human trafficking and the resources and skills they bring to the Center. This was followed by a presentation on raising awareness of human trafficking in tribes, Tribal Nations, and Indigenous communities. The second day included presentations on the Blue Campaign, forced labor in the supply chain, and the lived experience of a trafficking survivor.
“One of the most important things we do at the CCHT is to raise awareness of human trafficking and the tools available to combat trafficking crimes and protect victims,” said CCHT Director Cardell Morant. “This annual seminar is a unique opportunity to do this within our own Department, so that DHS personnel can go out and accomplish their work as well-informed employees who are better equipped to contribute to their own roles in our counter-trafficking mission.”
The two-day seminar was attended by hundreds of DHS special agents, officers, program managers, analysts, victim assistance specialists, forensic interviewers, and others in DHS departmental and component offices around the country with roles in investigating human trafficking, providing victim assistance or benefits, identifying and reporting human trafficking, or advancing awareness of human trafficking.
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HSI Birmingham Investigation Results in Over 60 years in Prison for Sex Trafficker
An investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Birmingham culminated in a sentence of over 60 years in prison for a Montgomery man who trafficked adults and minors for commercial sex. In December 2022, Lonnie Dontae Mitchell was sentenced in the Middle District of Alabama for having led a violent sex trafficking organization that operated throughout Alabama and the southeast. In addition to his prison sentence, he was ordered to pay over $950,000 in restitution to his victims. Mitchell will serve an additional 9 years for a 2021 conviction as a felon in possession of a firearm discovered during the execution of a search warrant by law enforcement including HSI.
Mitchell was found guilty in June 2022 of offenses related to a scheme whereby he targeted adult and minor victims who struggled with drug addictions. He increased their dependency on drugs, then manipulated their drug addictions to his benefit by threatening to withhold the drugs if his rules were not followed. Mitchell also used violence and threats of violence to send embarrassing information, photos, or videos to the victims’ loved ones. He often controlled the amount of food the victims ate and when they ate. Mitchell also confiscated victims’ identity documents and credit cards in his effort to control them.
Two co-defendants, Donna Emmons and Nettisia Mitchell, the ringleader’s sister, previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. They were sentenced to 12 and 10 years, respectively. The HSI investigation was conducted jointly with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and Montgomery Police Department.
More information on this investigation can be found here.
For more information visit the Blue Campaign
To report suspected human trafficking: 1-866-347-2423
To get help from the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888
or text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733)
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