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Witnesses urge buyer‑focused enforcement and national data collection to prevent trafficking at major events
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Summary
Survivors, advocacy groups and law‑enforcement representatives told a House task force that arrest counts alone miss traffickers, urged targeting buyers and called for a DHS‑led national data framework to identify labor‑trafficking linked to major events.
At a hearing of the House Homeland Security Task Force on Enhancing Security for Special Events, witnesses pressed lawmakers to shift more resources toward buyer‑focused enforcement and to fill national data gaps on labor trafficking tied to mass gatherings.
Yasmin Vafa of Rights for Girls argued that trafficking is a market‑driven crime and that proactive deterrence of buyers reduces demand. She recommended using buyer fines to fund victim services and urged federal grant programs to permit proactive demand‑reduction operations.
Megan Lundstrom of Polaris said that event arrest totals are a misleading metric: her analysis of past operations showed many arrests were of exploited people while few traffickers faced sustained prosecution. Lundstrom recommended a national intelligence and data framework to identify risk patterns in temporary staffing, subcontracting and venue supply chains.
Members questioned whether existing laws are sufficient. Witnesses noted congressional changes intended to clarify federal trafficking offenses (testimony referenced congressional action and statute number provided in the hearing as '15 91' and the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act), but they said inconsistent prosecutorial practice and grant restrictions (noted as TBPA/OVC guidance in testimony) limit the impact of available tools. Several members and witnesses called for clearer grant language so federally funded models can include buyer deterrence tactics.
Industry representative Eliza McCoy described cross‑sector prevention steps hotels can take — standardized training, reporting protocols and collaboration with victim services — and urged that federal efforts enable, not constrain, proactive local operations.
What’s next: Witnesses asked the task force to request written guidance from DHS and OVC about grant permissibility for demand‑reduction operations and to explore legislative or administrative steps to improve prosecution and data sharing.
