Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed four bills on May 16 in a crackdown on human trafficking tied to “Biden’s Border Crisis.” According to a press release from the governor’s office, the bills will help “to combat human trafficking, raise awareness of the signs and impacts of human trafficking, and impose critical reforms to hold human traffickers accountable.”
“Biden’s Border Crisis is exacerbating human trafficking across the nation,” claimed Governor DeSantis, “72% of all human trafficking victims are illegal immigrants and 60% of unaccompanied alien children crossing the border were caught by cartels and exploited for drug trafficking, or worse.”
Governor DeSantis accused the federal government of “ignor[ing] the people that are suffering due to its failed policies.” In the absence of federal action, “Florida continues to act . . . . to better protect vulnerable children, ensure businesses are taking steps to identify and eliminate trafficking and to give victims a way to fight back against their abusers.”
Governor DeSantis posted a brief clip of his speech from the bills’ signing ceremony on his official Twitter account:
Today I signed legislation to combat human trafficking and support victims of these terrible crimes.Victims will now be able to:Recover damages from adult entertainment establishments;Receive restitution from the sale of their trafficker’s seized property; andParticipate in educational programs offering alternatives to prostitution and adult entertainment.
The full video includes speeches by several other Florida officials and a victim of human trafficking, who related her harrowing experiences:
The bills enhance the rights of victims of human trafficking, increase penalties for human trafficking, and mandate human trafficking awareness training for police officers.
SB 7064, “An act relating to human trafficking,” allows human trafficking victims to recover damages and attorney fees from adult entertainment establishments that exploit them and the seizure and sale of the property from human traffickers to pay restitution to their victims.
The law also requires adult establishments to verify and maintain records of employees’ identities and ages and mandates that prostitution offenders “attend an educational course on the impacts of human trafficking and negative impacts of commercial sex on people and their communities.”
SB 1690, “An act relating to sexual exploitation and human trafficking,” creates new “human trafficking awareness programs and increases human trafficking support” to prevent human trafficking at residential treatment centers for children and safe houses and foster homes.
HB 1465, “An act relating to firearm and destructive device offenses,” imposes a mandatory minimum sentence on human traffickers who “possess or discharge a firearm during the course of their crimes.”
SB 1210, “An act relating to public records,” exempts human trafficking victims’ court records from public records requirements and provides for the confidentiality of those records “in order for human trafficking victims to have the chance to rebuild their lives and reenter society” without stigma.
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