On December 22, 2010, President Barack Obama issued a Presidential Proclamation declaring January National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. While the employees of DHS and members of the Blue Campaign work hard throughout the year to fight human trafficking, this month is an apt time to take note of what we have done and what we plan to do moving forward.Since the launch of the Blue Campaign in July 2010, we have inventoried and aligned the anti-human trafficking efforts of each of our components to better address this terrible crime. The Blue Campaign is led by a Steering Committee comprised of committed representatives from across the Department -- including Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), the Office of Health Affairs (OHA), the Office of Policy and the Management Directorate. This diversity of components and perspectives has fostered creativity, collaboration, and concrete solutions that are helping DHS better combat human trafficking on a daily basis.
These are just a few of the Blue Campaign’s recent accomplishments:
• The creation and dissemination of a free, interactive internet training curriculum for law enforcement on identifying and addressing human trafficking;
• The designation of 39 ICE human trafficking field experts;
• The creation and distribution of multi-lingual resources for vulnerable populations.
• The development of online resources, including a centralized website – www.dhs.gov/humantrafficking – and a human trafficking group on the civic engagement website - http://www.ourborder.ning.com/;
The Blue Campaign has several initiatives planned for the spring including the filming of an online training for DHS personnel and the engagement of the firefighter and EMS communities in the effort to combat human trafficking. In addition to the special initiatives of the Blue Campaign, each of the DHS components is integral in the fight against human trafficking through its daily work.
To learn more about the Blue Campaign, to download educational and outreach materials, or to sign up for the DHS Open Source Enterprise’s Daily Human Trafficking and Smuggling Report, please visit us at www.dhs.gov/humantrafficking. We strive to continue to improve our efforts at combating human trafficking and welcome your feedback on how to do so. As always, report any suspected human trafficking by calling Immigration and Customs Enforcement at 866-347-2423.
Last Updated: 09/20/2018