On March 8, the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Management, Integration and Oversight held a hearing on the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center (HSTC), which was established by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-458).
Rep. Katherine Harris (R-FL) said that “the integrity of our immigration system and our Nation’s security is compromised by three increasingly pervasive threats: clandestine terrorist travel, human trafficking, including sex trafficking, and human smuggling.” She explained that the purpose of the HSTC is to “serve as a focal point for interagency efforts to address terrorist travel,” adding, “I wish to clarify today that Congress’ intent was for the federal government to address the problem of terrorist travel including the ancillary crimes of human smuggling and trafficking in a coordinated and comprehensive way.”
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Department of Homeland Security John Clark said that ICE “manages some of the G-TIP [Global Trafficking in Persons] projects with the overall goal of building foreign government capacity to increase the effectiveness of their anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts. Additionally, ICE seeks to develop and conduct joint bilateral investigations to dismantle criminal organizations engaged in the trafficking in persons. The ICE Office of Investigations provides oversight, guidance and support to ongoing ICE criminal trafficking and child sex tourism investigations, both domestically and internationally.”
Chris Swecker, acting executive assistant director of the HSTC and a Department of Justice representative, highlighted the center’s recent activities: “FBI representatives at the HSTC are in the process of establishing intelligence sharing protocols on human smuggling and trafficking matters with all of the Latin American FBI Legal Attachés in Africa and Asia. The HSTC is currently coordinating the pursuit of another human smuggling and trafficking matter with the Department of State, FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and international law enforcement counterparts in Asia and Europe regarding smugglers from the United States that are part of a human trafficking ring operating in Europe. The HSTC is coordinating the investigation of this trafficking ring with appropriate FBI Legal Attaché offices in Europe and Asia.”
During the question and answer session, Rep. David Reichert (R-WA) requested information concerning the Innocence Lost Initiative. Mr. Clark explained that it is an FBI program that investigates female children who have been forced into prostitution and aims to educate law enforcement that the girls “are victims, not criminals.” He said that since the initiative began in 2003, there have been over 100 arrests.
