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The monthly Newsletter of the Center for Countering Human Trafficking
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Engage with the CCHT
July 30: World Day Against Trafficking in Persons Webinar
In observance of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, Blue Campaign will be hosting Human Trafficking 101 webinars in both English and Spanish for partners and the general public. Offered through Webex, “Time to Take Action: How to Recognize and Report Human Trafficking” will focus on educating adults who care for youth on recognizing and reporting this crime.
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At the Center
CCHT Hosts Meeting with HSI’s Victim Assistance Program
In early June, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT) staff met with personnel from Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) Victim Assistance Program (VAP). The meeting was attended by incoming CCHT Director James C. Harris, senior advisors, unit chiefs, section chiefs, and other personnel from across the CCHT, along with VAP section and unit chiefs. The CCHT provided a briefing on the Center’s recent expansion and the missions, roles, and capabilities of new units and sections, and both parties discussed potential opportunities for increased coordination, communication, and training.
The CCHT and the VAP work hand in hand to provide field agents with the resources they need to successfully investigate human trafficking while protecting victims, and train HSI special agents, CCHT staff, state and local law enforcement, and international law enforcement via the International Law Enforcement Academies.
The CCHT strives to have in-person quarterly meetings with VAP leadership to supplement monthly working group calls to further strengthen their commitment to work together.
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Continued Presence Webinar for Law Enforcement
As part of a quarterly series, CCHT is offering live webinars on the Continued Presence (CP) program for the community. The webinars will focus on:
- Why and how requesting Continued Presence strengthens a human trafficking investigation;
- How to prepare and submit a Continued Presence request; and
- Recent improvements to the Continued Presence program.
CP is a temporary immigration designation provided to individuals identified by law enforcement as trafficking victims who may be potential witnesses. CP allows trafficking victims to lawfully remain in the United States temporarily and work during the investigation into the human trafficking-related crimes committed against them and during any civil action under 18 U.S.C. § 1595 filed by the victims against their traffickers.
Dates and times for the CP webinars are below. Please sign up to learn more about this designation:
You will be directed to a Microsoft Teams Webinar page and receive a follow-up email containing instructions and a meeting link. If you have any questions or difficulty registering, please contact ContinuedPresence@ccht.dhs.gov.
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July 30 is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
Human trafficking is a global scourge, affecting millions around the world each year. Young people are among the most vulnerable groups to this crime. In fact, one out of every three people impacted by human trafficking globally is a child. July 30 is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, and this year’s theme is: “Leave no child behind in the fight against human trafficking.” In the interest of raising awareness of human trafficking and promoting the protection and rights of survivors, DHS’s Blue Campaign will be amplifying this global initiative throughout July. In addition to a forthcoming special edition of the CCHT Chronicle, the campaign will be promoting relevant content across its social media channels, as well as resources you can share with your community.
Follow @DHSBlueCampaign on Facebook, X, and Instagram to learn how you can help combat the crime.
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Forced Labor on the Rise, New ILO Report Finds
According to a new report from the International Labour Organization (ILO), Profits and Poverty: The Economics of Forced Labour, forced labor generates $236 billion in annual illegal profits — a 37% increase from 2014. Forced labor is a $52 billion-a-year industry in the Americas. Like other forms of human trafficking, it is a crime that hinges upon individuals being compelled against their will to provide service through the use of force, fraud, or coercion.
Would you know forced labor if you saw it? Blue Campaign has created a variety of resources you can utilize to learn about forced labor and what it looks like:
You can report suspected civil forced labor trade violations to U.S. Customs and Border Protection at eallegations.cbp.gov/Home/allegation. To report criminal violations of forced labor in corporate supply chains, submit information to ICE.ForcedLabor@ice.dhs.gov, or contact the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) tip line at 866-347-2423 or submit an HSI tip form online.
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HSI Houston, Houston PD Investigation Results in 30-Plus Year Sentence for Trafficker of Teenage Girls
Last month, 23-year-old Javon Yaw Opoku, also known as “Glizzy,” was sentenced to 365 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to sex trafficking in June 2023. Opoku will serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term, and restitution for victims will be sought. Opoku’s co-conspirator, Jerreck Michael Hilliard, a.k.a “Jmoney,” was sentenced in April to 292 months.
From April 2019 to February 2020, Opoku and his co-conspirators recruited teenage females and forced them to engage in sex acts with clients for money in cars and hotels around the Bissonnet “blade,” an area in Houston where traffickers commonly place their victims to engage in commercial sex. The young females victimized by Opoku were forced to pay “exit fees” or get “beat out” to switch between pimps. Some traffickers imposed daily quotas each night from their victims, and if quotas were not met, the victims were beaten and humiliated.
Houston Police Department initiated the investigation with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office as a part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance.
Details about the investigation and prosecution can be found in the Department of Justice press release.
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To report suspected human trafficking to federal law enforcement, call 1-866-347-2423.
To get help from the National Human Trafficking Hotline, call 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733).
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Follow us! @DHSBlueCampaign
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