Full Breakdown
Trump Administration’s Decline in Sex-Trafficking Enforcement and Controversial Rescue Contract
8/14/2026, 1:17:10 AM
Core Developments
- Prosecution drop: Reuters reported that through June the Justice Department charged 73 individuals with federal sex-trafficking offenses, a 22 % decline from the first half of the preceding three years. Child-pornography charges fell 3 % (1,230 cases) and Mann Act violations dropped 18 % (318 cases).
- Contract award: On August 7 the administration granted Our Rescue, a Utah-based anti-sex-trafficking nonprofit, a no-bid contract worth $244,034,658 to provide legal services for unaccompanied immigrant children in federal custody.
Background & Context
During President Donald Trump’s second term, the administration emphasized immigration enforcement and mass deportations. Former prosecutors and federal agents said resources were shifted from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)—the branch that typically handles human-trafficking cases—to investigations of alleged voter fraud. The departure of dozens of veteran DOJ prosecutors further strained capacity to pursue sex-trafficking cases, leaving remaining staff “struggling to find prosecutors” for such matters.
Data & Statistics
| Metric | Figure | Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Federal sex-trafficking charges (through June) | 73 | 22 % lower than the prior three-year average |
| Child-pornography charges (through June) | 1,230 | 3 % lower than the prior three-year average |
| Mann Act violations (through June) | 318 | 18 % lower than the prior three-year average |
| Our Rescue contract value | $244,034,658 | ? 7 times the organization’s 2025 assets ($36.9 million) |
| Unaccompanied children in ORR care (June) | ~1,800 | Averaged ~1,908 monthly over the previous year |
Official Statements & Responses
- Todd Blanche, the Senate-confirmed Attorney General, told a July hearing that “Human trafficking, including both labor and sex trafficking, remains a Department priority given the gravity of the harm it causes to victims.”
- Martina Vandenberg, president of the Human Trafficking Legal Center, said the administration is “throwing sand in the gears in 10,000 different ways.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “The administration is throwing sand in the gears in 10,000 different ways,” — Martina Vandenberg
- “Human trafficking, including both labor and sex trafficking, remains a Department priority given the gravity of the harm it causes to victims,” — Todd Blanche
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
No alternative figures were provided for the number of sex-trafficking prosecutions; all quantitative data derive from the Reuters analysis. The contract notice does not specify how many children Our Rescue will ultimately represent, leaving the scope of services unclear.
What’s Next
- Judicial order: On August 6 U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín ordered the administration to pay $65 million owed to nonprofits for prior legal-aid contracts by the following day at noon Pacific time, underscoring ongoing litigation over the government’s handling of legal services for migrant children.
The decline in federal sex-trafficking prosecutions and the award of a massive contract to a nonprofit with a controversial leadership history highlight persistent challenges in the Trump administration’s approach to combating human trafficking.
