Floor SpeechCeremonial2026-01-13

HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS MONTH

ImmigrationCrime & JusticeTechnology

Context

On 2026-01-13, Representative Morgan Luttrell (R-TX-8) delivered a floor speech titled "HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS MONTH" in the House. The speech addressed immigration and also covered crime and justice, technology.

Full Text

HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS MONTH

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 9 (Tuesday, January 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 13, 2026)] [House] [Pages H665-H666] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS MONTH The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from--the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Luttrell, for 5 minutes. =========================== NOTE =========================== On January 13, 2026, page H665, in the third column, the following appeared:(Mr. LUTTRELL of Texas was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) The online version has been corrected to read: The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from--the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Luttrell, for 5 minutes. ========================= END NOTE ========================= [[Page H666]] Mr. LUTTRELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Human Trafficking Awareness Month and to speak about the serious threat human trafficking represents here and globally. Human trafficking is the second largest criminal enterprise in the world, second to only that of drug trafficking. Human trafficking generates an estimated $150 billion a year and enslaves nearly 50 million people. The most vulnerable are our children and young adults. They are being targeted and exploited through their phones, through their computer systems, through gaming systems, and through social media. Every 30 seconds a child is sold into slavery. Every 30 seconds another child is sold into slavery. Human trafficking is not just a distant overseas problem. The issue is here. It is in our communities. It is in our small towns. It is in our big cities. I am from Texas and Texas being a border State, we are a hot spot for human trafficking. We lead the country in that issue. I asked our elected officials and I asked our law enforcement officials: How do we combat this? How do we defeat this mechanism? These cartels and these gangs move these people every day. It starts with community awareness. You have to be willing to recognize the problem. You have to be willing to watch. We have the FIFA World Cup and we have the Super Bowl coming up. This will swarm our country even more so than now with this issue. I have talked to school board members. I have talked to parents. I have spoken to young men and women who have been trafficked, and it is hard to speak about. A lot of the young ladies like to keep that to themselves, but we have to look past that. We in Congress have to legislate forcefully. We have to go after these bastards who are taking advantage of our babies every single day. If we don't, this problem will continue to exist. I asked law enforcement: What do you need? They need technology. They need us to listen. They need funding. They need our help. This is an American problem. It will not go away. With the advancements of technology that we are seeing today, they will reach out and touch every single person they possibly can because it makes them money. This is like cancer, unfortunately. If cancer does not touch you or your family, you don't want to recognize it. You will not address it until it lands on the house. Mr. Speaker, this issue is here. These babies cannot protect themselves. It is our responsibility to watch over them. We have to do that. Enough is enough. In 2021, the estimated report again was 50 million people are sold into slavery, 50 million people. This is a problem the United States and the globe should not have. This is not a red or blue issue. This is a red, white, and blue issue. I talk to my colleagues in Texas on a daily basis. They are just as engaged as we are, but I talk to the American people and I say to you: We need your help. We have to Facebook this thing. It has to spread like a wave. Do not be shy about this issue, Mr. Speaker. Our babies depend on us to watch over them. I have two beautiful sons, and I give them the latitude they need, but I watch over them every single day because I am one county away from the worst county in the country when it comes to human trafficking. Honestly, Mr. Speaker, I am embarrassed to have to say that, but we have to fix that here. We have to fix that in every single State in the country, and we can do that if we just activate and show the bad actors that we will tolerate this no more. ____________________

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HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS MONTH Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 9 (Tuesday, January 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 13, 2026)] [House] [Pages H665-H666] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS MONTH The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from--the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Luttrell, for 5 minutes. =========================== NOTE =========================== On January 13, 2026, page H665, in the third column, the following appeared:(Mr. LUTTRELL of Texas was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) The online version has been corrected to read: The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from--the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Luttrell, for 5 minutes. ========================= END NOTE ========================= [[Page H666]] Mr. LUTTRELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Human Trafficking Awareness Month and to speak about the serious threat human trafficking represents here and globally. Human trafficking is the second largest criminal enterprise in the world, second to only that of drug trafficking. Human trafficking generates an estimated $150 billion a year and enslaves nearly 50 million people. The most vulnerable are our children and young adults. They are being targeted and exploited through their phones, through their computer systems, through gaming systems, and through social media. Every 30 seconds a child is sold into slavery. Every 30 seconds another child is sold into slavery. Human trafficking is not just a distant overseas problem. The issue is here. It is in our communities. It is in our small towns. It is in our big cities. I am from Texas and Texas being a border State, we are a hot spot for human trafficking. We lead the country in that issue. I asked our elected officials and I asked our law enforcement officials: How do we combat this? How do we defeat this mechanism? These cartels and these gangs move these people every day. It starts with community awareness. You have to be willing to recognize the problem. You have to be willing to watch. We have the FIFA World Cup and we have the Super Bowl coming up. This will swarm our country even more so than now with this issue. I have talked to school board members. I have talked to parents. I have spoken to young men and women who have been trafficked, and it is hard to speak about. A lot of the young ladies like to keep that to themselves, but we have to look past that. We in Congress have to legislate forcefully. We have to go after these bastards who are taking advantage of our babies every single day. If we don't, this problem will continue to exist. I asked law enforcement: What do you need? They need technology. They need us to listen. They need funding. They need our help. This is an American problem. It will not go away. With the advancements of technology that we are seeing today, they will reach out and touch every single person they possibly can because it makes them money. This is like cancer, unfortunately. If cancer does not touch you or your family, you don't want to recognize it. You will not address it until it lands on the house. Mr. Speaker, this issue is here. These babies cannot protect themselves. It is our responsibility to watch over them. We have to do that. Enough is enough. In 2021, the estimated report again was 50 million people are sold into slavery, 50 million people. This is a problem the United States and the globe should not have. This is not a red or blue issue. This is a red, white, and blue issue. I talk to my colleagues in Texas on a daily basis. They are just as engaged as we are, but I talk to the American people and I say to you: We need your help. We have to Facebook this thing. It has to spread like a wave. Do not be shy about this issue, Mr. Speaker. Our babies depend on us to watch over them. I have two beautiful sons, and I give them the latitude they need, but I watch over them every single day because I am one county away from the worst county in the country when it comes to human trafficking. Honestly, Mr. Speaker, I am embarrassed to have to say that, but we have to fix that here. We have to fix that in every single State in the country, and we can do that if we just activate and show the bad actors that we will tolerate this no more. ____________________