Trump Admin Aims to Fix Problem That Made It ‘Much Harder’ to Fight Human Trafficking

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The Trump administration has chosen a new provider to run its human trafficking hotline after complaints that the Biden administration’s provider failed to answer calls from victims, The Daily Signal can first report.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families announced a five-year, projected $35 million grant to Compass Connections to run the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

HHS received complaints from victims and state attorneys general that with the previous provider under the Biden administration, wait times were too long, calls were dropped, and victims could not rely on the hotline to deliver the necessary quality of service.

“State attorneys general were telling us that third-party tips were not getting delivered to law enforcement, so their investigations into human trafficking were hindered,” acting ACF Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison told The Daily Signal, “and they had a much harder time getting criminals off the streets of human trafficking, to get information where It needs to go on time in an accurate way, so that law enforcement can make arrests and end human trafficking.”

The award includes an increase of $1 million annually and will bring annual funding to $7 million, showing President Donald Trump’s commitment to protecting survivors of human trafficking, according to Gradison.

“Combating human trafficking is an enormous priority of this administration, and we’re putting money behind it, and we’re making policy changes that are informed by feedback that we’ve heard from victims, from survivors, and from law enforcement,” he said, “and we are committed to combating human trafficking through all our available tools, including fixing this hotline so that victims get the services they need.”

Gradison has tested the hotline once a month for the past six months, and each time, his wait time exceeded 20 minutes. Often, his calls were dropped.

“If there’s a victim who is in harm’s way, and they have to expect a 20-minute wait time, and ultimately the call getting dropped, we are not delivering the high-quality services that they they deserve,” he said. “Many people who call this hotline are in harm’s way immediately. Maybe they only have a minute or two to be able to relay their situation and request help. Twenty minutes is too long to wait.”

The investment in a new hotline provider will improve responsiveness to crisis calls, texts, and chats, while strengthening coordination with survivor advocates, service providers, child welfare agencies, and law enforcement.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline is a 24/7, confidential resource that offers information and service referrals to individuals who have experienced human trafficking. It was established by the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 and incorporated into the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

The Administration for Children and Families has already prepared a transition framework to ensure no disruption in service from the current operator to Compass Connections.

“To make that go smoothly through the end of this calendar year, we will continue to work with the current provider while our new awardee, Compass Connections, gets up to speed, to make sure that we have a smooth transition from one to the other,” Gradison said, “and to make sure that we’re in a position to not have a lapse in services for victims, and to make sure that we’re in position to give law enforcement what they need.”

The grant requires that the hotline prioritize calls for individuals in immediate danger, actively experiencing trafficking, or minors at risk of abuse or neglect.

It also mandates the creation of a law enforcement engagement plan, developed in collaboration with survivors, to standardize how tips are shared with local, state, tribal, and federal agencies. The grant also requires annual training for law enforcement and child welfare representatives.

The Administration for Children and Families solicited applications to run the hotline and processed dozens of applicants.

“After reviewing applicants based on past performance, we selected the provider with the best, the highest-quality application,” Gradison said, “so that we have the most confidence that our hotline would operate better for victims, better for law enforcement in the future, than it ever has in the past.”

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