Special Events Task Force Chairman McCaul Gives Opening Remarks at Human Trafficking Hearing

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) - chairman of the bipartisan Task Force on Enhancing Security for Special Events - held a hearing entitled "A Scourge Against Humanity: Addressing Human Trafficking at Mass Gatherings."

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Full Transcript of McCaul's Opening Remarks:

This is the third hearing of the bipartisan Task Force on Enhancing Security for Special Events in the United States. The task force provides us a unique opportunity to evaluate the range of threats facing upcoming mass gathering events - most importantly, as I stated, the FIFA World Cup and America's 250th Anniversary.

Over the past several months, we have examined historic security incidents at major events, engaged with federal law enforcement on emerging threats such as malicious drone activities, which are one of the biggest threats. We've held in-depth discussions with security leadership from FIFA and the Olympics.

These discussions have informed our work to provide legislative solutions to protect these events and ensure that they showcase American leadership. In fact, the legislation this task force was working on to counter adversarial drones at these events recently passed the House in the National Defense Authorization, which we're very pleased to see and we thank the White House for working with us to get that language in there and passed into law.

When we first established this [task force], Ranking Member Pou and I agreed that human trafficking associated with these events would be among the various challenges needed to be addressed. This is an issue that's near and dear to my heart, and I know it's near and dear to the ranking member's heart. It's one that's a very tragic story that we've seen upfront, close and personal, especially with Ms. Courtney Litvak, whom I've had the honor to be associated with - from her family to [our] work, getting her appointed to the White House Advisory Council on Human Trafficking. [She is] a person who experienced grave danger and abuse at the hands of these traffickers, and I know she has her personal story to tell, but I was so glad that God blessed us and saved her life and brought her home.

Millions of people, though, will be subjected to forced labor and sexual exploitation. They are every day. As we prepare to host the largest international sporting event in history, it is essential that law enforcement, advocacy groups, industry partners, and the federal government work together to disrupt trafficking operations to protect the most vulnerable amongst us.

There are about an estimated 27.6 million people being trafficked worldwide - an astounding number - 77% in forced labor, 23% in sex trafficking. And men and boys account for 57% of victims, women and girls for 43%. It occurs every day in the United States and across the globe.

This crime remains hidden to a large extent. The experiences of survivors are not told as often as they should [be]. Their courage in sharing their stories, like Ms. Litvak, often has helped law enforcement learn how to recognize signs of exploitation, intercept criminal networks, and rescue victims.

I have been long committed to this cause. I call it human slavery. Back in 2017, I was proud to sponsor a bill, which became law, and that was the Congressional authorization of DHS's Blue Campaign. This legislation has enabled the Department of Homeland Security to properly coordinate anti-human trafficking activities and served as a resource to state and local law enforcement to end human trafficking. I don't think we're anywhere near ending human trafficking, though, unfortunately.

In 2020, I led legislation requiring the U.S. Department of State to track and report when and where traffickers applied for U.S. visas, and we denied those visas. This bill extended the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking that I talked about through 2025 - we'll have to reauthorize that - to ensure survivors have a platform on that council to advise the President's Interagency Task Force on policies to combat trafficking.

As I mentioned, we're delighted to have Courtney Litvak here, and all of you, between the sheriff and the hotel and motel association.

We rely on law enforcement to enforce justice and put a stop on these horrible crimes being committed. Training and coordination must extend beyond law enforcement to include - as we have here today - hotel staff, organizers, transportation, it goes into a lot of different areas.

And I can go on and on with this, but at the end of the day I think this is an important hearing to address a very horrible crime - a scourge - that's around the world, but obviously, seeing it in the United States is very difficult.

I anticipate [we will see it again] with these world cup events coming up - just like we've seen with Super Bowl games, and I think we'll be talking about the Houston one in particular.

As a former federal prosecutor and [former] chairman of this committee, it's one of the most horrific things I've seen in my lifetime, and I want to do everything we can Ms. Pou and this task force, to make sure these games are safely conducted with as little of this criminal activity as possible.

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