What you need to look out for is someone like me. What you need to look out for is your granddaughter.

Hurt people hurt people. So we never know where that line is going to end.

We end up allowing these victims to carry the shame that does not belong to them.

But the bill that the Chairman has been gracious to talk about that I have sponsored goes after the demand and gives them equal punishment to the trafficker...

Lock them up.

We need to solve that problem, that overall problem. I mean, that is the big picture.

In a country like this, we can only provide 30 beds for trafficked boys that are domestic trafficked boys?

Children should never be in a position in life where they feel like nobody is going to look for them.

Every year, according to the State Department and the Department of Justice, between 14- and 17,000 people are trafficked in the United States.

A broken immigration system is the best tool available to a would-be trafficker.

Texas is a major crossroads in the United States for human trafficking and forced labor.

We must work to protect at-risk individuals and create safer neighborhoods and communities in Texas and across the United States.

I would like to begin by very quickly for the record introducing the first panel.

I think one of the areas I hope to talk about is adult education and what it means to try to bring remediation and assistance.

Central to this is workforce development. Central to this is the public institutions that will educate that workforce.

I believe Homeland Security should be front and center on the front lines of this crucial scourge to eliminate it.

I am grateful that we are going to do it in a bipartisan manner based on heart and love and the values of this great Nation.

It is my hope that with the help of your testimony, we will raise awareness about this issue and identify solutions that will have a significant impact on human trafficking in Houston and throughout this Nation.