This past week, US representatives have raised concerns about the government’s reallocation of law-enforcement resources from trafficking to immigration enforcement. They join advocates in warning this reprioritization puts more people at risk of trafficking. During the same period, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released long-delayed funding for trafficking survivor services following sustained public pressure from civil society. The developments underscore how uncertain trafficking protections and survivor support remain amid shifting US priorities.

Human trafficking on the backburner for authorities

Democratic senators sent a letter to the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, and the DOJ. They accuse the government of reassigning thousands of federal law enforcement personnel away from investigations into child exploitation, human trafficking, and other serious crimes to support immigration enforcement.

The Guardian reports,

The senators cited an ICE document from August 2025, published by the Cato Institute thinktank, which said more than 28,000 personnel from federal law-enforcement agencies had been diverted from their regular duties to work for ICE’s enforcement and removal operations… finding the intense focus on deportations has taken resources away from investigations into sexual crimes against children, an inquiry into a hidden market that finances terrorism, and federal efforts to combat human smuggling and sex trafficking.

They warned that the shift risks weakening protections for victims at a time when enforcement capacity is already strained.

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