This statement was issued by Human Trafficking Legal Center President and Founder Martina Vandenberg on November 14, 2024:

Hope. Hope is at the core of our mission. We are inspired by the trafficking survivors in our community who hold fast to hope. It is hope that brings these survivors to our door. It is hope that gives them the courage to fight for legal status in this country. And it is hope that propels them to fight for justice. 

At this moment, we need hope more than ever.

The anti-immigrant rhetoric of the campaign and threats of mass deportations have shaken that hope. Elections have consequences. Project 2025 explicitly promises to eliminate all crime-victim-based visas, including T Visas for trafficking victims. The survivors in our community now face tremendous uncertainty. Will they face deportation? Will they be able to obtain T Visas? Will they be able to see their families again? Are they safe in this country?

At this moment, we need strategy.

We have already started the hard work to prepare for the next administration. We are building coalitions and crafting a strategy to protect the most vulnerable members of our community. We are also looking to the survivor community for leadership. The survivors we work with are strong, they are resilient, and they are determined.

To the survivors we work with, we say: We hear you. Your voices, your stories, and your rights remain at the heart of everything we do. The election’s impact will be significant. But the impact will not be permanent. This is a setback, but we are playing the long game. We are with you in this fight, and we will not stop until all trafficking survivors are free, supported, safe, and heard.

Here’s what we are doing:

1. Advocating for Survivor-Centered Policies: We are pushing for policies to strengthen protections for survivors, to increase services for survivors, and to hold traffickers accountable. We will work with lawmakers to fend off attacks on trafficking survivors and T Visas. We have thwarted these attacks before. We will do it again.
2. Expanding Access to Legal & Immigration Services: We are already working to expand access to legal resources and immigration relief for survivors. We have asked our pro bono partners to step up to meet the moment. It is all hands on deck.
3. Building Coalitions: We have partnered with allies in the human rights and immigrant rights community to convene a series of strategy meetings. Our coalitions are strong, and our resolve is stronger. 

Together, we rise. Together, we fight. Together, we restore hope. Trafficking survivors deserve no less.

Martina Vandenberg, President and Founder