Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined a bipartisan coalition of 41 state and territory attorneys general in a letter urging Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy to require better cooperation with local law enforcement from the next operator of the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
“The National Human Trafficking Hotline plays a critical role in combatting trafficking,” Nessel said. “Victims and witnesses often only report to the Hotline instead of local law enforcement, meaning if these tips don’t reach the right authorities, there’s no investigation, no liberation, and no justice for victims of these heinous crimes. That’s why it is essential that information from this publicly funded Hotline is quickly shared with state and local law enforcement.”
Since 2007, Polaris has operated the National Human Trafficking Hotline with millions of dollars in funding authorized by Congress. States rely on the Hotline to forward third-party tips of suspected human trafficking to local law enforcement to arrest traffickers, safely recover victims, and uncover evidence of trafficking rings and operations. It was recently discovered that Polaris was failing to forward third-party tips about adult victims to state law enforcement except in limited circumstances. Additionally, states have often discovered a delay of even several months before the Hotline shared those tips with states.
This practice is contrary to what Polaris itself advertises, to what states and organizations have come to expect from this partnership, and, the attorneys general believe, to what Congress expects from its funding. In February 2023, a bipartisan coalition of 36 attorneys general asked for Congress to require the Hotline to report these third-party tips to local law enforcement. As a result, then-HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra stated that the agency was “incorporating additional language in the next [award notice] outlining specific coordination requirements with law enforcement.”
HHS is currently seeking applicants for a new award of this funding. That notice of funding opportunity does require the Hotline operator to develop a plan for working with law enforcement.
In the letter, the attorneys general ask Secretary Kennedy, “As you consider applicants, we urge you to ensure that the organization that is awarded the grant for the National Human Trafficking Hotline demonstrates its commitment to being a partner to our offices and local law enforcement with timely reports of trafficking tips. We have worked hard to teach the public the signs of trafficking and how to report it when they think they see it. But sending the public to the Hotline when they see someone in trouble is futile if the organization running it refuses to share those tips and share them in a timely manner.”
The attorneys general continued, “To be clear, we are not asking that the Hotline report calls from victims who say they do not want their call reported. But we are asking them to send us the tips they get from anyone other than the victim. We are asking for the tips from the trucker who sees suspicious behavior on the road, the flight attendant who notices something unusual in the airport, the front desk clerk who sees something that does not make sense at their motel, or the citizen who sees the same woman being abused at the corner market week after week. Those tips matter, and reporting those tips can save lives.”
The Attorney General is leading the fight against human trafficking in Michigan by prosecuting criminal cases under state laws banning human trafficking in Michigan, working with law enforcement task forces through the Human Trafficking Unit to help put an end to trafficking in the state. Last year, Attorney General Nessel charged individuals in connection to an alleged international human trafficking ring involving commercial sex at illicit massage parlors in metro Detroit and pursued charges against three individuals alleged to have labor trafficked a woman brought to the United States from India under the auspices of marriage.
Human trafficking can take on many forms, including forced labor and sexual exploitation. Labor trafficking is found in many different markets that consumers might not suspect, such as convenience stores, nail salons, massage parlors, farming and agriculture, and restaurants. Those being trafficked often do not even realize they are victims of human trafficking or are not aware of how to get help.
Human trafficking victims may:
- Exhibit signs of abuse, including bruises, cuts, burns, or scars;
- Not be in control of their own money or documents, including their driver's license or passport;
- Avoid eye contact with others and appear fearful of the person they’re with;
- Not be allowed to communicate on their own behalf and another person may answer all questions on their behalf;
- Not be from the area or be aware of where they are; or
- Not admit they are victims or ask for help.
Additional information on the Attorney General's human trafficking initiative, including updated state laws prohibiting trafficking, is available on the Attorney General's website.
In addition to Attorney General Nessel, the letter was signed by the attorneys general of the following states and territories: Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawai’i, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Original source can be found here.