Tom Emmer: “I want to thank my colleagues, Congresswoman Kristi Noem and Congresswoman Ann Wagner, for their leadership here…”

“I want to thank my colleagues, Congresswoman Kristi Noem and Congresswoman Ann Wagner, for their leadership here tonight. Nearly a year ago, Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria kidnapped more than 200 teenage girls with the intent of selling them off into slavery. This crime against humanity sparked international outrage, but a distracted world soon turned their attention and their backs on these young women. Unfortunately, this was not an isolated tragedy in some faraway nation. We are in the midst of a global crisis. On every continent and in every nation, millions of human beings are sold and enslaved, forced into labor and prostitution against their will. In the United States alone, hundreds of thousands are trafficked by transnational drug cartels and criminal organizations. The Justice Department estimates there are more than 200,000 children across the U.S. at risk of trafficking. Human trafficking is a $30 billion per year enterprise, with thousands trafficked annually. This is not just an American problem, but there is work that we can do at home to combat this growing problem. Congress must do everything within its power and authority to ensure that resources and judicial tools are being used to improve prosecutions, protect victims, and prevent future trafficking. Thankfully, we are not starting with nothing. One way we can combat trafficking is through safe harbor laws that have been instituted across the country, including my home State of Minnesota.…”