Emma Ecker |
FNUSA Opposes Harmful Reconciliation Bill that Strips Protections for Survivors and Enables Trafficking
Last month, the House of Representatives passed a massive reconciliation bill designed to decimate immigrants’ rights, cut access to lifesaving social safety net protections for millions, dismantle Trafficking Victims’ Protection Act protections for unaccompanied children, and quietly strip immigrant trafficking…
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Emma Ecker |
FNUSA’s Statement on Funding Cuts to Lifesaving Victim Services Programs
This week, the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs cancelled numerous grants that serve survivors of crime without notice. These programs are essential to ensuring victims of trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse, and hate crimes can access…
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Emma Ecker |
Where We’re Headed: How Federal Policy Changes are Threatening Survivors Lives
Almost three months into the second Trump Administration, one thing is very clear: survivors are not a priority for this government. Policy changes, drastic cuts to lifesaving programs, and threats to anti-trafficking services since the beginning of the Administration have…
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Emma Ecker |
The State of Human Trafficking Services One Month into the Second Trump Administration
The first month of the new Administration has brought immense challenges to providing human trafficking survivors with lifesaving support and preventing exploitation. Survivors depend on a wide array of federally funded services both during and after exploitation. Access to food,…
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Emma Ecker |
FNUSA Condemns Pause on Federal Funding Leaving Survivors Without Lifesaving Services
Freedom Network USA (FNUSA) is the nation’s largest coalition of trafficking survivors, social service providers, and attorneys working directly with trafficking survivors. FNUSA’s 53 service provider members served over 6000 survivors last year alone. We unequivocally condemn the Trump Administration’s…
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Emma Ecker |
FNUSA Recommendations Highlighted in the 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report
By Emma Ecker On June 24, 2024, the US Department of State (DOS) released its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report which evaluates the efforts of 188 countries to meet a set of minimum standards to address human trafficking. The…
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Emma Ecker |
New T Visa Regulation Includes FNUSA Recommendations that Protect Survivors
New T Visa Regulation Includes FNUSA Recommendations that Protect Survivors On April 30, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security released the long-awaited Final T Visa Rule. For many years, FNUSA has advocated for the regulation to include more protections for…
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Emma Ecker |
Supporting Online Safety Policies that Protect Everyone
As the reach of the internet has grown significantly in the last 30 years, the safety of children using online platforms has become an increasing priority. There are real concerns about the risk of bullying, harassment, hate speech, disinformation, and…
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Emma Ecker |
FNUSA Denounces Efforts to End Safe Asylum
On January 26, 2024, President Biden put out a statement calling on Congress to pass a budget bill with extreme immigration cuts that will devastate the US asylum process. The bill would prevent fair asylum, devastate due process, and exacerbate…
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Emma Ecker |
US Advisory Council Annual Report Highlights Necessary Changes to Anti- Trafficking Efforts
Each year, the US Advisory Council on Human Trafficking releases a report outlining recommendations for US federal agencies to improve their anti-trafficking efforts. The Council is made up of lived experience experts appointed by each Presidential administration for two-year terms.…
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Emma Ecker |
The National Human Trafficking Hotline Cannot Act as a Law Enforcement Tipline and Help Survivors
The National Human Trafficking Hotline Cannot Act as a Law Enforcement Tipline and Help Survivors Throughout 2023, the National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH) has come under scrutiny after claims from 36 State Attorneys General that the hotline is failing to…
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Emma Ecker |
Historic Capitol Hill Briefing by Experts with Lived Experience
Historic Capitol Hill Briefing by Experts with Lived Experience Held as Congress Enters Critical Moment to Address Trafficking With a surge in public interest from a summer movie about international child sex trafficking and recent news reports of child labor…
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Emma Ecker |
FNUSA Response to the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Ensuring the Safety and Well-Being of Unaccompanied Children
Yesterday, June 14, 2023, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on ways the United States can ensure the safety and well-being of children who enter the US without a parent or guardian. The hearing was spawned by the revelations…
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Emma Ecker |
New Proposed Asylum Ban Will Harm Trafficking Survivors
On February 23, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security proposed a new rule that would reinstate asylum restrictions put in place under the Trump Administration. The rule would effectively limit asylum to migrants from Mexico and Canada arriving by land…
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Emma Ecker |
New Authority for OSHA Can Help Survivors Access T Visas
On February 13, 2023, the Department of Labor announced it has finally granted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) the authority to issue T and U Visa certifications. This long-awaited authority will increase opportunities for survivors of human trafficking…
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Emma Ecker |
Successes and Failures of the 2022 Trafficking Victims Protection Act Reauthorization
In 2000, Congress passed the United States’ first comprehensive anti-human trafficking legislation, the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA). Since then, this landmark legislation has been reauthorized seven times to expand the scope of protections and…