Cortez Masto, Moran Re-introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Help Human Trafficking Survivors Flee Their Captors

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) re-introduced legislation to help survivors of human trafficking access air travel and get the care they need.

When fleeing violence and abuse, many human trafficking survivors do not have access to the identification documents they need to travel by plane. Recognizing this problem in Reno, Nevada, the late TSA Assistant Federal Security Director (AFSD) Jimmy Deal worked with local advocates and helped survivors fleeing abuse clear airport security screenings and reunite with their families. The Jimmy Deal Trafficking Survivors Assistance Act would replicate his efforts nationwide by establishing a partnership between TSA agents and anti-human trafficking service providers to help survivors access lifesaving care via air travel.

"We should be making it as easy as possible for human trafficking survivors to escape their captors and get the help they need," said Senator Cortez Masto. "My friend Jimmy Deal saved lives by helping survivors without identification get approved for travel, and I'm proud to honor his legacy with this legislation."

"Victims of human trafficking often lack a government-issued ID needed for air travel, hindering their ability to find safety or reunite with family," said Senator Moran. "This legislation aims to eliminate this barrier by creating a process that helps make certain every survivor has the means to access air travel when they desperately need it to escape danger and reach safety."

Human traffickers often control access to their victims' identification documents, and many survivors leave their documents behind when attempting to flee, making air travel difficult. According to Rescue America's national emergency hotline for trafficking survivors, 1,025 survivors who've called their hotline since October 2020 didn't have identity documents.

Read the bill here. The companion bill for the Jimmy Deal Trafficking Survivors Assistance Act will also be introduced in the House of Representatives by Congresswoman Susie Lee (D-Nev.-03). This legislation has been endorsed by Awaken, American Association of Airport Executives, Airports Council International - North America, Polaris, Street Grace, Freedom Network USA, Rescue America, Nevada Policy Council on Human Trafficking, Hope for Family Resilience, Sex Trade Survivor Caucus, Interparliamentary Taskforce on Human Trafficking, and 3Strands Global Foundation.

Senator Cortez Masto has fought to prevent human trafficking and deliver justice for the survivors of sexual violence since her time as Nevada's attorney general. She introduced two bipartisan bills to combat human trafficking along America's interstates, airways, railroads, and waterways. She urged the chairman of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee tohold a hearing on Jeffrey Epstein's use of the U.S. financial system to perpetrate his heinous crimes. Prior to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and before the 2024 Super Bowl LVII, Cortez Masto urged FIFA and the NFL, respectively, to take steps to prevent human trafficking at the events. Cortez Masto also called on Congress to further fund the Crime Victims Fund, which provides services and resources for survivors of sexual assault.

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