Forced labor enforcement by CBP has plummeted. Laura Murphy @csis.org said, “Companies know that enforcement is down. They’re allocating resources towards addressing tariff issues & are moving those resources away from dealing with compliance with...UFLPA." thecapitolforum.com/trumps-u-s-c...

We’re hiring! @htlegalcenter.bsky.social seeks a Senior Staff Attorney to represent #traffickingsurvivors, lead our immigration relief efforts, and support pro bono partners. Join us in the fight for justice. Learn more & apply here: htlegalcenter.org/about-us/joi...

The On My Side 2025 Celebration would not be possible without the support of our Advocate Sponsors Pillsbury Law, @cohenmilstein.bsky.social, Susan Gibson & Mark Bergman, Stout, Aaron Halegua, Marilyn & David W Rivkin, and Lorelie S Masters. Join the celebration: secure.qgiv.com/for/thehuman...

We had a full house! Thank you to everyone who joined us for the D.C. launch of The Trafficker Next Door. @htlegalcenter.bsky.social Agatha Schmaedick & author Rhacel Salazar Parreñas led an inspiring conversation on trafficking of #domesticworkers. Read Parreñas’ book: bookshop.org/p/books/the-...

We are grateful to our Ally sponsors & their dedication to trafficking survivors: BlankRome, KCIC, Trace International, Ifrah Law, Skadden Arps, Kathryn & Robert Vizas, @reedsmithllp.bsky.social, Milbank & McGuireWoods. There's still time to sponsor On My Side 2025: secure.qgiv.com/for/thehuman...

We’re hiring! @htlegalcenter.bsky.social seeks a Senior Staff Attorney to represent #traffickingsurvivors, lead our immigration relief efforts, and support pro bono partners. Join us in the fight for justice. Learn more & apply here: htlegalcenter.org/about-us/joi...

Generous donors — and wonderful #probono partners — make our work possible. We are grateful to @wilmerhale.bsky.social, Fish & Richardson, @mofollp.bsky.social, & Latham & Watkins for joining our Defender Sponsors. To sponsor the event or join the celebration, visit: secure.qgiv.com/for/thehuman...

The survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have shown extraordinary courage. We believe them. We stand with them. And we join them in their call for justice and accountability.

Rhacel Salazar Parreñas will speak about her new book, "The Trafficker Next Door: How Household Employers Exploit Domestic Workers." Please join her in conversation with Agatha Schmaedick on Sept. 9th at DC's Solid State Books: www.eventbrite.com/e/rhacel-sal...

@htlegalcenter.bsky.social is thrilled that Orrick & FTI Consulting have joined as Champion Sponsors for On My Side 2025! We are grateful for this generous support for #traffickingsurvivors.Join us on October 8th to honor survivors & the advocates who stand with them. secure.qgiv.com/for/thehuman...

A Brazilian labor court has ordered Volkswagen to pay $30M in damages—the largest such award in Brazil’s history—for subjecting hundreds of workers to slavery-like conditions at a company-owned farm in the Amazon between 1974 and 1986. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Trafficking survivors need legal immigration status to rebuild their lives. Since January, the processing time for T visas—special visas for #traffickingsurvivors— has increased from 19 months to 23.5 months. These delays put #traffickingvictims at grave risk for exploitation.

Forced labor can exist in any industry. This #LaborDay, we honor workers everywhere and demand a future where every job is free from exploitation. All workers deserve safety, dignity, and fair pay.

Please join us on October 8th for the @htlegalcenter.bsky.social's On My Side Celebration in Washington, DC. We will hear from the Harriet Tubman Fellows, courageous #labortrafficking survivors pursuing education & training to lead the fight against #humantrafficking. secure.qgiv.com/for/thehuman...

More human-trafficking survivors are seeking immigration relief, but risk deportation. Julie Dahlstrom, director of the Human Trafficking Clinic @bulaw.bsky.social, tells @latimes.com “These programs are being politicized and, in some ways, weaponized...” www.latimes.com/world-nation...

California's procurement laws are outdated and toothless against forced labor. AB 381 would fix that—bringing state law in line with federal standards. U.S. Ambassadors + Fresno leaders are urging action. Support the bill. #EndForcedLabor #AB381 Read: www.fresnobee.com/opinion/read...

Rhacel Salazar Parreñas will speak about her new book, "The Trafficker Next Door: How Household Employers Exploit Domestic Workers." Please join her in conversation with Agatha Schmaedick on Sept. 9th at DC's Solid State Books: www.eventbrite.com/e/rhacel-sal...

@joselewisalfaro.bsky.social has spoken courageously about #sextrafficking of boys. He told @unclosetedmedia.bsky.social that bias & discrimination increase the vulnerability of LGBTQ+ communities to exploitation. Read: www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/gay-boys-a...

Workers are being charged up to $10K before they even set foot in CA. Joe Martinez of @ciertoglobal exposes labor recruiter abuse—and urges lawmakers to pass #AB1362. It’s time to protect the people who power our state. Read More: www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-e...

Ticket sales are LIVE for @htlegalcenter.bsky.social’s 2025 On My Side Celebration! Join us October 8, 2025 to honor this year’s awardees: survivor advocates, pro bono heroes & legal trailblazers. Celebrate their victories: htlegalcenter.org/2025-on-my-s...

Amid persistent ICE raids, housing instability & uncertainty for many families, LA City Council also acted to address trafficking risks after disasters. Grateful to CMs Soto-Martínez, Park & all members for their leadership. 👉Full release & our work: www.lls.edu/sunitajain/trafficking-in-disasters

DOJ should release #Epstein files. Judge rules that the Maxwell grand jury materials do not contribute anything to public knowledge & one "might conclude that the Government's motion for their unsealing was aimed not at 'transparency' but at diversion..." www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

Thank you to Nelson Mullins pro bono attorneys for accepting a #humantrafficking case for a #traffickingsurvivor. We are grateful for your partnership, your skill, and your commitment to supporting survivors as they rebuild their lives.

@htlegalcenter.bsky.social's Evelyn Chumbow & Harriet Tubman Fellows J. Samantha S. and Grace Muwawa participated in the Free From Survivor Wealth Summit in Los Angeles. Thank you to Sonya Passi & the FreeFrom team for this inspiring event. Investing in #survivors is transformational. #SurvivorMade

Thank you to Green & Spiegel for serving as co-counsel with @htlegalcenter.bsky.social on a complex immigration #probono #trafficking case. The Green & Spiegel pro bono team did brilliant work: the judge granted the motion, protecting the #traffickingsurvivor. This is the power of #probono.

Import bans are powerful tools that should not be dismissed. In a new piece for @opendemocracy.net, @freedomfund.bsky.social partners @htlegalcenter.bsky.social argue that advocacy for import bans is a critical strategy to target abuses in supply chains: www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...

#Traffickingsurvivors need immigration protection to rebuild their lives. Too few receive it. New data show that DHS approved just 317 Continued Presence (CP) applications for #survivors in FY2024. More CP approvals are needed to protect survivors. www.dhs.gov/sites/defaul...

@freedomfund.bsky.social August Slavery Research Bulletin: 🔍Advancing survivor leadership in anti-slavery movements 🔍Shifting attitudes towards child domestic workers in Ethiopia 🔍Ferrying forced-labor tainted goods on the“Air Silk Road” from Xinjiang to Europe www.freedomfund.org/news/slavery...

Rhacel Salazar Parreñas will speak about her new book, "The Trafficker Next Door: How Household Employers Exploit Domestic Workers." Please join her in conversation with Agatha Schmaedick on Sept. 9th at DC's Solid State Books: www.eventbrite.com/e/rhacel-sal...

There are no magic fixes, but Section 307 of the US Tariff Act delivers results. Import bans blocking forced-labor tainted goods from the US market have led to more than $62 million in back wages & fees returned to workers. Read our @opendemocracy.net oped: www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...

We share @humanityunitedorg.bsky.social's concerns about major staffing cuts at the State Dept, which undermine efforts to combat #humantrafficking. The US Trafficking in Persons Report was due to be released in June. We call on State to release the report. humanityunited.org/perspectives...

In response to an @opendemocracy.net op-ed criticizing import bans, we wrote to set the record straight: Import bans push companies to address forced labor in their supply chains in ways voluntary measures never have. That should be applauded—not condemned. www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...

"Import bans shut the door on goods made with forced labor. They punish exploiters, provide remedies to workers, & force real change."@htlegalcenter.bsky.social's Human Rights & Trade Policy Dir. Anasuya Syam & President Martina Vandenberg in @opendemocracy.net: www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...

HU is deeply alarmed by recent State Department staff and funding cuts. We call on the Administration to work with Congress to fund and restore these critical programs: humanityunited.org/perspectives...

No market for abuse: how import bans fight back against forced labour

Read @htlegalcenter.bsky.social's piece in @opendemocracy.net:

Thank you to Board Chair Lorie Masters for joining the farewell lunch for @htlegalcenter.bsky.social fabulous summer fellows, Molly Wiggins & Ayah Elsheikh. We were so fortunate to work with these brilliant law students. Each fellow worked on a T visa application for a #traffickingsurvivor.

@htlegalcenter.bsky.social's Legal Fellow Ayah Elsheikh & Paralegal Joni Lee just filed their first T Visa application for a #traffickingsurvivor. T visas are life-changing, allowing survivors to rebuild their lives. But the process is slow. Survivors must wait 23 months for adjudication.

I am honored to be named the @htlegalcenter.bsky.social 2025 Litigator of the Year! I will be recognized at the On My Side event on October 8th. Join the celebration! If you'd like to purchase tickets, learn about the award, or support the work, visit this link: secure.qgiv.com/for/thehuman...

Trafficking survivors need legal status to rebuild their lives. Processing times for T Visas—critical protection for #traffickingsurvivors—continue to surge, hitting 23 months, an increase from 19 months in January 2025. We call on USCIS to invest resources to end these delays.

We stand with UNODC to demand stronger protections for children. No child should ever be held in #forcedlabor or sex trafficking. Every child deserves safety & support. Every child deserves the chance to learn & grow, free from exploitation. #WorldDayAgainstTraffickingInPersons

@htlegalcenter.bsky.social presents Kenya Davis as our Champion of the Year! Davis led a Boies Schiller Flexner pro bono team to a major jury verdict in a federal forced labor case —a rare and groundbreaking win. Join us at On My Side 2025 to honor Kenya & her team: htlegalcenter.org/2025-on-my-s...

@htlegalcenter.bsky.social is thrilled to name Daniel Werner as our Litigator of the Year! For over 20 years, Daniel has led groundbreaking forced labor cases, and his trauma-informed advocacy is shaping the future of survivor-led litigation. Join the celebration: htlegalcenter.org/2025-on-my-s...

@htlegalcenter.bsky.social is honored to name Carolyn Small & the Jenner & Block team as our Advocates of the Year! Carolyn led a complex labor trafficking case with creative, survivor-centered strategies, going far beyond the courtroom. Join us in the celebration: htlegalcenter.org/2025-on-my-s...

Ticket sales are LIVE for @htlegalcenter.bsky.social’s 2025 On My Side Celebration! Join us October 8, 2025 to honor this year’s awardees: survivor advocates, pro bono heroes & legal trailblazers. Celebrate their victories: htlegalcenter.org/2025-on-my-s...

These cuts are devastating to counter human trafficking work around the world... coupled with the cuts to USAID the US will no longer be THE leader in global anti-trafficking efforts curbing 25 years of progress since the adoption of the TVPA in 2000!

State Department Cuts: In a powerful interview with PBS Newshour, former U.S. Trafficking in Persons Ambassador Cindy Dyer weighs in the decimation of the #traffickinginpersons office & disastrous cuts to services for #traffickingvictims around the globe. www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...

The T Visa is an essential form of immigration relief for #traffickingsurvivors. USCIS released data for the second quarter of FY2025 showing that the US government denied more applications than it approved for the first time in history. Learn more about the T Visa in our new video:

Thank you Anne Dickerson, co-founder of 15 Minutes Group, for providing #probono communications training to the Harriet Tubman Fellows. Anne has generously donated her time & expertise for two years. Her mentoring has enabled #survivors to become powerful advocates. Thank you!

🔴 138M children in labour worldwide, @ilo.org & @unicef.org 🙇‍♂️ Street-connected boys in Dhaka face high exploitation risks, Population Council & INCIDIN 💵 Freedom of association linked to better wages, Cornell University New research bulletin! ➡️ bit.ly/3GKkpaE