[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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