Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a bipartisan coalition of 41 attorneys general in submitting a comment letter urging Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. to require better cooperation with local law enforcement from the next operator of the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
“Law enforcement relies on tips from the public to effectively combat human trafficking,” Raoul said. “Ensuring that information gets to law enforcement in a timely manner without compromising victims’ safety can save lives, which is why I am joining with my colleagues on a bipartisan basis to call on HHS to require the next operator of the National Human Trafficking Hotline to do a better job of partnering with local law enforcement and promptly forwarding human trafficking tips.”
Since 2007, the nonprofit organization Polaris Project (Polaris) has operated the National Human Trafficking Hotline with millions of dollars in funding authorized by Congress. States like Illinois 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. However, it was recently discovered that, except in limited circumstances, Polaris has failed to forward third-party tips about adult victims to state law enforcement and often delayed sharing hotline tips with states for several months.
In their letter, Raoul and the attorneys general explain this practice is contrary to what Polaris advertises, to what states and organizations have come to expect from this partnership, and to what Congress expects from its funding. HHS is currently seeking applicants for a new award for current funding, which requires the hotline operator to develop a plan for working with law enforcement.
Raoul and the coalition urge Secretary Kennedy to consider applicants for the National Human Trafficking Hotline grant that demonstrate a commitment to partnering with the attorneys general and local law enforcement with timely trafficking tip reports. The coalition clarified they are not asking the hotline to send tips from a victim who does not want their call reported, but from anyone other than a victim, such as truck drivers, flight attendants or motel desk clerks who notice suspicious behavior.
Joining Raoul in sending the letter are the state and territories attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, 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, Virgin Islands, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
