Republican U.S. Rep. Morgan Luttrell has introduced the Empowering Law Enforcement to Fight Sex Trafficking Demand Act to provide additional funding to help combat the nationwide problem of human sex trafficking.
The measure would provide state and local law enforcement authorities with federal criminal justice funding for anti-human trafficking efforts against those who exploit and “force men, women, and children into modern-day slavery.”
“Human trafficking is a heinous crime that has invaded communities across our nation, and Texas currently ranks as the number two state in America for this abuse,” Luttrell (TX-8) said on Thursday.
“Tragically, the situation was further exacerbated as cartels exploited our open border. We must draw a hard line, and this legislation will provide law enforcement the resources to do just that. Human traffickers cannot be allowed to terrorize and exploit our communities any longer,” he added.
In a Washington Times op-ed on Tuesday, Luttrell explained how human trafficking is affecting Texas, specifying that “Houston’s highways, international airports, and access to major seaports have made it a hub for human trafficking.”
He also cited a 2017 study from the University of Texas at Austin, which “estimates that there are more than 300,000 victims of human trafficking in Texas alone, including nearly 79,000 minors and youth who are victims of sex trafficking.”
Luttrell’s legislation comes as Border Patrol recently discovered a man-made tunnel system in El Paso. Fox News reported that the advanced smuggling system was “sophisticated and equipped with lighting, a ventilation system, and was supported by wooden beams,” allowing cartels to cross the southern border illegally into the United States.
Earlier this week, Texas Scorecard reported that during her confirmation hearing, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Attorney General, Pam Bondi, promised to investigate the 300,000 missing children who entered the U.S. illegally at the southern border.
