The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois is marking National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, joining the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) in their efforts to address human trafficking and support victims.
National Human Trafficking Prevention Month is an opportunity for federal agencies to increase operational activity, raise public awareness, and strengthen partnerships with state and local agencies. The goal is to disrupt trafficking networks, protect vulnerable people, and bring traffickers to justice.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated, “This Department of Justice is working tirelessly alongside our partners to dismantle human trafficking networks, help survivors, and protect vulnerable populations from being exploited. Under this administration we have seen an increase in human trafficking prosecutions, and during Human Trafficking Prevention Month we reaffirm our commitment to prosecuting traffickers and encourage Americans to report instances of human trafficking in their communities.”
United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said, “Through the Homeland Security Task Force, President Trump is taking the fight directly to human trafficking networks and disrupting their modern-day slave trade while seizing their assets and arresting their kingpins and foot soldiers. The American people should not have to live in fear of cartels, gang bangers, and foreign terrorists preying upon the most vulnerable among us. The Homeland Security Task Force is the largest coordinated campaign against transnational criminal organizations in U.S. history, and I’m proud to co-lead it with Attorney General Bondi.”
FBI Director Kash Patel added, “During Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the FBI reiterates our work with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and national victim-based advocacy groups in joint task forces to protect our communities across the country. The horrifying reach of human trafficking spreads far and wide. Homeland Security Task Forces are fighting back to disrupt these perilous networks and put a stop to that reach. The FBI will continue our investigations and bring justice to those exploited by human traffickers.”
U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft said, “During Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we reaffirm our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable, pursuing traffickers with every available resource and working alongside our law enforcement partners to dismantle the networks responsible for exploitation.”
In January 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion. Section 6 directed DOJ and DHS leaders to establish Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTFs) nationwide with objectives including eliminating criminal cartels and transnational organizations from U.S. territory; dismantling cross-border smuggling operations; focusing on crimes involving children; and using all available law enforcement tools for immigration law enforcement.
Since January 20, 2025—when HSTF began its operations—federal charges have been brought against sex traffickers, drug traffickers involved in transnational crime rings, foreign-based fraud conspirators, and violent criminals within the Southern District of Illinois.
In January 2026 DHS and DOJ increased resources for combating human trafficking by prioritizing investigations at dozens of federal locations—with a focus on border states—and coordinating with FBI squads as well as multi-agency task forces for victim recovery efforts. They also partnered with AMTRAK and Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) for enhanced law enforcement presence on trains while distributing reporting materials via posters containing QR codes.
Additional initiatives include running advertisements about $250 million recovered from Backpage.com for victim restitution efforts led by DOL-OIG; organizing seminars at high schools/colleges through DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking; highlighting HSTF’s role in addressing these crimes.
On August 25th 2025 HSTF launched a nationwide operation known as September Surge which included 400 operations over a span of 43 days resulting in more than three thousand arrests—including members from major criminal organizations such as Sinaloa Cartel (1,041), CJNG (856), MS-13 (641), Tren de Aragua (456)—and seizures totaling over $3 million cash along with weapons/narcotics.
