Biden DOJ faces criticism for removing sex trafficking info from webpage
The U.S. Department of Justice is facing criticism from congressional Republicans and nonprofit leaders for removing information from its anti-child sex trafficking webpage, which critics contend is an attempt to distance itself from policies they believe have exacerbated the issue.
According to archived posts in the WayBackMachine, the DOJ removed multiple sections from its webpage on the sex trafficking of minors sometime between April 21 and May 28.
The erased sections included the “International Sex Trafficking of Minors,” “Domestic Sex Trafficking of Minors,” and “Child Victims of Prostitution” pages. The current page, accessed Thursday, says it was last updated on May 12.
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In a statement to The Christian Post, the DOJ said it altered the webpage in accordance with its 2023 National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction, which is intended to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation.
“In the course of the Department publishing the most recent National Strategy, related content on various Department webpages was updated,” the DOJ told the outlet.
“Just as it has during previous administrations, the Department continues to place a very high priority on and devote substantial resources to fighting child exploitation and child sex trafficking, both domestically and internationally. To suggest otherwise is simply false.”
Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida criticized the changes in a press release last week, arguing that the administration is attempting to evade responsibility for border policies that have worsened child sex trafficking.
“The DOJ specifically deleted a section that implicated the Biden Administration’s open-border policies in correlation to the sex trafficking of children,” Luna’s statement reads.
“The deleted portion read, ‘One form of sex trafficking involves the cross border transportation of children. In these situations, traffickers recruit and transfer children across international borders in order to sexually exploit them in another country.’”
Another deleted section discussed how pimps and traffickers exploit children through street prostitution and nightclubs, as well as a variety of locations throughout the United States.
“DOJ’s blatant move to distance Joe Biden’s harmful policies from the global crime of sex trafficking should be no surprise to any of us who have seen the blatant sexualization and abuse of children this Administration is comfortable with promoting,” Luna continued.
Luna claimed the timing of the erasure was close to the release of “The Sound of Freedom,” a film that depicts the true story of a mission to rescue children from human traffickers in Colombia.
Victor Marx, a survivor of child sexual abuse and head of All Things Possible Ministries, also noted the erasure appeared to take place around the time of the film’s release. Marx contends that the removal of sections on child sex trafficking sends a message to women and children that the administration doesn’t care about the issue.
“I think they’re trying to lower their culpability and responsibility,” he told the NY Post last week. “They’re having to lower and lessen their footprint and their position on this because believe me, it’s horrible and stories are going to start to come out.”
Marx emphasized the importance of resources such as the DOJ’s website, adding that the information is “key” to raising awareness and ensuring cooperation in combating human trafficking.
The Biden administration’s border policies faced scrutiny during an April Oversight of the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s Unaccompanied Alien Children Program hearing.
During the hearing, Robin Dunn Marcos, director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement under the Department of Health and Human Services, informed lawmakers that the administration does not monitor the whereabouts of children released from its care.
Unaccompanied children at the border are placed in the ORR’s custody until the minor is placed with a parent or sponsor. While the agency does not track their whereabouts once they’ve been placed with a sponsor, Marcos said that the agency conducts “safety and well-being calls between 30 and 37 days after release.”
Subcommittee Chairman Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., questioned Marcos about the accuracy of a February New York Times report showing that the agency has been unable to reach over 85,000 children over the last two years. Marcos responded that the agency “works within the statutes and authorities and resources provided,” which Grothman took as confirmation of the report.
In May, the chairman and members of the Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs announced an investigation after the Biden administration indicated it planned to end familial DNA testing at the border. The testing is used to confirm family units and prevent human trafficking.
According to the Latin American branch of the Coalition Against Trafficking In Women, 60% of children who cross the border unaccompanied or with smugglers have been caught by cartels and are used in child pornography or drug trafficking.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
