[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 4 (Tuesday, January 9, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S35-S37]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Sex Trafficking

  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, for several years, we have known about 
financier Jeffrey Epstein's alleged sex trafficking ring that targeted 
young girls. This is something that appears to have been quite a far-
ranging international ring. What we know is that this was a large 
network of high-profile, high-dollar predators who abused untold 
numbers of minors.
  Only one person has been prosecuted for these crimes, and that is 
Ghislaine Maxwell. What she did was to recruit and groom many of the 
victims and

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then bring them into the Epstein orbit. But we know many more people 
were involved in this scheme in addition to Ghislaine Maxwell. What we 
do not know is the extent of that involvement. The recent release of 
documents by a Federal judge exposing part of Epstein's potential 
client list is a step in the right direction to help bring some 
visibility and some accountability to these predators and also to bring 
justice for the victims.
  It is so important that, as we look at this issue, we keep in mind 
that this is about justice for these victims, making certain that they 
are able to tell and share and see the FBI take action on the 
information they are giving them. These women deserve justice.
  The court unsealed the names of more than 170 associates who were 
named in a lawsuit against Maxwell by one of Epstein's alleged victims. 
The names are a mix. Some of them are just reference--they are not 
accused of any wrongdoing. Some of them are accused of wrongdoing. Some 
of the names in this lawsuit have accused Epstein and Maxwell of 
wrongdoing. Some of these names are potentially people who were aware 
of wrongdoing but said nothing. The documents also reveal some details 
about Epstein's alleged abuse, including that he and his associates 
would target underage girls in nightclubs--didn't pursue them, didn't 
recruit them, didn't groom, then--and, as the pattern goes, bring them 
into the Epstein orbit.
  The release of this information is just the first step to uncovering 
the truth. The latest documents come from just 1 case with 1 victim, 
and there are 170 named. There are countless others who were targeted, 
trafficked, and abused. That is why I have repeatedly requested a 
subpoena for the complete, unredacted Epstein flight logs and Ghislaine 
Maxwell's unredacted ``little black book'' of contacts and addresses, 
along with all of the documents and records from the FBI regarding this 
case. We need to know who flew on Epstein's plane and who potentially 
participated in his international sex trafficking ring. We need to know 
how far-reaching this ring is. We need to have a better idea of those 
who also had sex trafficking rings that intersected with Jeffrey 
Epstein's ring.
  While Judiciary Chairman Durbin, Senator Durbin, previously had 
stonewalled my request, I am encouraged that he has seemingly had a 
change of heart and expressed a willingness to work on a bipartisan 
basis to obtain records relevant to the Epstein case.

  I am calling on Chairman Durbin to hold a vote this week, and I will 
be urging a vote on my subpoena whenever possible at our Senate 
Judiciary Committee meetings so that the American people can get the 
whole, full truth about Jeffrey Epstein, his sex trafficking ring, 
about every single person who participated in these alleged crimes, and 
about all the horrific abuses suffered by his victims so that we can 
get justice for these women and children who were abused in this sex 
trafficking ring.
  One thing should be clear, and that is that I am not going to stop 
trying to get complete and total transparency on this issue so that 
these innocent victims can receive the justice they deserve.
  We know this issue goes beyond Epstein and his associates. In 
America, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, in this 
country right now, a child is bought or sold for sex on average every 2 
minutes. Think about this. Think about the children who are harmed by 
this when you see these stats. Once every 2 minutes, a child is bought 
or sold for sex.
  The Department of Homeland Security estimates that human traffickers 
make--get this number--$150 billion a year in profits. Human 
traffickers, sex traffickers, are making $150 billion a year in 
profits. That is not my number. That is not a think tank number. That 
is the number that comes from the Department of Homeland Security. So 
we have to say, why is more not being done to break apart these human 
trafficking rings? Why are we not doubling down on this? In 2019, the 
estimate of the profits made by human traffickers was $500 million a 
year. That is 2019, and now we are at $150 billion a year in estimated 
profits. And all of this is being done to women and children.
  Much of the trafficking does occur at our southern border, where the 
Biden administration appears to have lost track of 85,000 migrant 
children who came across our border into the custody of DHS, which 
hands them off to Health and Human Services and the Office of Refugee 
Resettlement.
  I know that in the last couple of years, the Office of Refugee 
Resettlement changed the vetting procedures for these individuals who 
were going to take these children and be the foster parents, be the 
surrogates. They were tasked with taking care of them. They loosened 
their vetting procedures for these individuals, and now 85,000 migrant 
children cannot be found. They do not know where they are. They do not 
know if they are alive or dead. They do not know if they are in a labor 
gang. They do not know if they are in a gang or if they are selling 
drugs or if they have been put in a sex trafficking ring. They cannot 
find them. Why is it they cannot find these children? Because when they 
call the individuals who have been given the responsibility of caring 
for these children, they don't answer the call.
  There are 85,000 children who can't be found. These are children who 
are vulnerable to being preyed on by criminals, and HHS and ORR cannot 
give us an answer as to where these children are, who has them, what 
kind of conditions they are living in, and how they are spending their 
days. I would imagine many of them are spending their days in absolute 
and total fear. This is certainly irresponsible, and it is sickening.
  One of the things we have learned--and I have heard so much in 
Tennessee about this--is that this issue of human trafficking and sex 
trafficking affects every single county and every single community. 
Here are some of the stats from Tennessee, and we went to the stats 
because we found it so interesting.
  You know, I visit with every single county in my State each year. 
That is 95 counties. I started that 95-county tour last week, and what 
we heard from our law enforcement officers, from healthcare personnel, 
and from individuals who are in charge of classrooms and schools was 
the uptick in the number of sex trafficking reports that are taking 
place.
  In Tennessee, in 2016, there were 60 reports of sex trafficking of 
minors in our State. That was in 2016. By the time we got to the end of 
2021, that number had jumped to 600. By the time we got to November of 
this last year, 2023, by November, we had already hit 700 reports of 
trafficking minors. This is one State. These are our stats. You go from 
60 reports of trafficking minors in 2016 to, in 2023, in 11 months, you 
are at 700 reports.
  See, this is something that is out of control--out of control--and 
this is why we have to get all of this information and be sure law 
enforcement is apprehending these traffickers.
  This is modern-day slavery. This is what is happening to women and 
children in this country. They are being recruited. They are being 
groomed. They are being brought into the orbit of a trafficker. We have 
to have information that is going to break this apart. We have to know 
who all is involved. And, you know, when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein, I 
had somebody say today: Why do you want this information?
  I will tell you why. First of all, I can't believe you don't want 
this information. And secondly, this is not about celebrity or who done 
it. This is about criminal activity. This is about modern-day slavery. 
This is about breaking apart human trafficking and sex trafficking 
rings and making certain these predators and these pedophiles are put 
in jail where they belong.
  We have to put some light on this criminal activity, and we have to 
take steps to end it. Now, as we get this information and as we look at 
this issue, as I have talked to law enforcement, one of the things they 
regularly say is: Look, we need more tools in the toolbox.
  So the SAVE Girls Act is legislation that I have that I brought 
forward. And I thank Senator Klobuchar, who has worked with me on this. 
What this legislation would do is provide States, local governments, 
and nonprofits with resources that they need to train personnel, to 
conduct rescues, and to help save some of these women and girls.
  There is another piece of legislation Senator Duckworth and I have; 
it is

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the SALONS Stories Act. This replicates a program, Shear Haven, that is 
taking place in Tennessee. Illinois, Senator Duckworth's State, also 
has a program, and it trains aestheticians and barbers and beauticians 
on the signs of sexual abuse, domestic abuse, and violence and what to 
look for in human trafficking and then how to get people to the right 
resources for a rescue, for an intervention, for the help that they 
need.
  And last month, the REPORT Act, which Senator Ossoff and I did in a 
bipartisan way, will give NCMEC--the National Center for Missing and 
Exploited Children--and law enforcement the resources that they need to 
crack down on child trafficking and online child sexual abuse material.
  We are pleased that these are pieces of legislation that are moving 
forward. We are hopeful to get the subpoena on the Epstein flight logs 
and further information of his associates. And we are clinging to the 
promise--clinging to the promise--of justice for these victims by this 
Chamber paying close attention to what is happening with human 
trafficking in our country.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska.