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Response to Rubio's Questioning of the State Departments Enforcement of Human Trafficking Laws - Renewal Forum
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Recently Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., criticized the State Department for not heavily enforcing human trafficking provisions against foreign dignitaries. In the current news cycle there have been several high profile investigations into foreign dignitaries and their use of non-nationals for forced labor. The most recent scandal involved a Saudi diplomat in Northern Virginia and two female Filipino workers asserting coercion into forced labor. To address such issues, Congress authorized suspension of certain categories of U.S. visas used for guest workers to specific diplomatic missions or international organizations that have subjugated non-immigrant workers in the past in its 2008 reauthorization of an anti-human-trafficking law (PL 110–457). Despite legislation, Rubio claims that “in the five years since the passage of this law, not a single country or mission has been suspended.”

While there is merit to Rubio’s concern he is only addressing a microcosm of the over all problem of trafficking in the United States. Representative Christopher H. Smith, the original sponsor of the anti human-trafficking legislation also criticizes the state department for not placing severe pressure on other countries that are failing to combat trafficking. However, huge populations of trafficked humans in the U.S. are U.S. born victims. According to the Washington State Office of the Attorney General an estimated 293,000 children in the U.S are in danger of being sexually trafficked. Victims are American children from all races and backgrounds and range in age from infants to teens. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, “Four-fifths of victims (83%) in confirmed sex trafficking incidents were identified as U.S. citizens, while most confirmed labor trafficking victims were identified as undocumented aliens (67%) or qualified aliens (28%).” Lawmakers as well as the general public cannot deter human trafficking on a global level without addressing and heavily enforcing regulation in place to aid domestic victims. Rubio’s statement speaks more broadly to a collective consciousness that paints human trafficking as an immigration issue or a problem outside the paradigm of domestic policy. A more pertinent question is how to address and shift the collective consciousness in order to promote a more comprehensive and all encompassing attack against trafficking.

 

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