CORREA BILL TO COMBAT CARTEL TRAFFICKING PASSES KEY HOUSE PANEL WITH BIPARTISAN SUPPORT, AWAITS FLOOR VOTE
WASHINGTON — Today, Representative Lou Correa (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Border Security and Enforcement Subcommittee, announced that his bipartisan Cooperation on Combating Human Smuggling and Trafficking Act successfully passed out of the House Committee on Homeland Security with bipartisan support. The legislation was introduced last year alongside Representative Clay Higgins (R-LA), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement, and now awaits a full floor vote in the House of Representatives.
Specifically, the legislation directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to enhance border security by expanding bilateral cooperation with Mexican, Central American, and South American law enforcement to identify and disrupt human smuggling and human trafficking operations.
“This legislation represents a real, bipartisan effort to address the factors that drive migration rather than just focusing on the symptoms of the problem. By expanding American partnership with our southern neighbors to combat human trafficking, and supporting their efforts to investigate and prosecute human smugglers and traffickers targeting children and families, we will make meaningful strides towards disrupting human trafficking operations at their roots and keeping our nation’s border safe, secure, and humane,” Ranking Member Correa said. “That’s why it received bipartisan support, and why it was passed out of the Homeland Security Committee today. I’m confident that my colleagues across the aisle and across Congress will come together to get this legislation passed through the full House as soon as possible.”
“Criminal cartels have been making billions by trafficking in human misery,” said Chairman Higgins. “For the past year, Congressman Correa and I have worked on bipartisan legislation to empower law enforcement and disrupt the evil of human trafficking. This legislation is crucial in fighting the war against the cartels, and I look forward to seeing this bill on the House Floor.”
Specifically, The Cooperation on Combating Human Smuggling and Trafficking Act would require:
- The establishment or expansion of cross-border transnational criminal investigative units to identify, disrupt, and support the prosecution of human smuggling and trafficking operations.
- Enhanced participation in the Bilateral Human Trafficking Enforcement Initiative or a successor initiative.
- Advanced training for certain investigators and prosecutors from Mexico and such countries.
You can read the full text of the bill HERE.
In addition to the Cooperation on Combating Human Smuggling and Trafficking Act, the House Committee on Homeland Security also successfully passed legislation co-led by Ranking Member Correa with bipartisan support, including the DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act of 2024 and the REVAMP Act.
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