Human Trafficking Detection Act of 2015
Floor Speech
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Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 460, The Human
Trafficking Detection Act of 2015.
I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this important, bipartisan
legislation, which will ensure that DHS personnel continue to receive
the training they need to detect and disrupt human trafficking.
As Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, I convened a field
hearing in Houston during the last Congress to examine the issue of
human trafficking. At the hearing, the Committee heard compelling and
disturbing testimony on how human trafficking is destroying the lives
of vulnerable populations across the globe, including here in the
United States.
Simply put, human trafficking is a despicable crime, and it must be
stopped. I believe this bill is an excellent step towards that goal.
The Human Trafficking Detection Act of 2015 would ensure that U.S.
Customs and Border Protection, Transportation Security Administration,
and other Department of Homeland Security personnel are trained to
effectively detect, and to the extent appropriate, intercept and
disrupt trafficking in persons, during the course of their normal roles
and responsibilities. Not only would this legislation require effective
training, it would also ensure that these employees are regularly
provided with the most current trends and information on human
trafficking and are adequately equipped to counter this growing
problem.
While the men and women at DHS carry out their everyday work, many of
them are well-positioned to spot traffickers who may try to exploit our
nation's transportation systems to move their victims, both from
overseas and within our borders.
H.R. 460 also ensures that Congress has insight into the level of
success of the training being provided, and that the Department's State
and local partners have full access to training curricula to establish
their own trafficking awareness programs.
I applaud Mr. Walker for introducing this legislation, and I urge all
of my colleagues to vote yes on this common-sense measure.
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