As the Trump Administration diverts staff and budget for tackling #humantrafficking and child sex abuse to bolster ICE, survivor advocates speak out about how loss of federal support will impact efforts to protect the most vulnerable.
Thai CDC’s Directing Attorney, Panida Rzonca spoke with Guardian reporter Aaron Glantz about the harm these priority shifts cause.
“In some cases, immigrants cooperating with human trafficking investigations have been arrested, locked up or deported. In May, at a routine immigration court hearing in Orange County, California, ICE agents detained two workers who were assisting law enforcement after reporting they had been trafficked.
‘Upon walking out into the hallway, they were apprehended, cuffed and taken away,’ their attorney, Panida Rzonca of the Thai Community Development Center, said.
Rzonca said she told the ICE agents that the two were victims of human trafficking but agents’ response was ‘that’s not up to us, we’ll sort it out later.’ Soon after, the two migrants were transported to Texas and deported to Venezuela, she said.”
Read the full article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/17/trump-human-trafficking-programs-cut
