Posted by Alice Hill, Senior Counselor to the Secretary

Today, I’m proud to announce several new human trafficking awareness and training materials for the general public, federal workforce, first responders and airline employees. These new materials aim to help increase awareness and provide education on the indicators of human trafficking and the importance of reporting it to officials. We can’t end the horrendous crime of human trafficking on our own- we need individuals and communities to spot the signs of human trafficking and report it to authorities.

The new trainings were unveiled earlier today at a meeting with DHS officials, other federal agencies along with representatives from NGOs, the private sector, and the international community at a human trafficking event. At the meeting, Acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) David Aguilar, Deputy Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Kumar Kibble, Deputy Director of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Lori Scialabba, and Office of Health Affairs (OHA) Assistant Secretary Dr. Alexander Garza joined officials from the Departments of Justice, Labor, Health and Human Services and Transportation to discuss the U.S. government’s efforts to prevent and combat human trafficking and recognize National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

Subject matter experts from across the government also engaged in a dialogue with stakeholders on methods and services to support victims, ways to engage local communities, and new initiatives taking place in the NGO, private sector and international communities. The session gave participants the opportunity to provide ideas to federal experts leading an array of anti-human trafficking programs and services. I’m very excited for the ideas that were expressed, and am hopeful that they will lead to new ways to prevent the terrible crime of human trafficking.

To learn more and take our general awareness training, please visit www.dhs.gov/humantrafficking

Posted by Alice Hill, Senior Counselor to the Secretary, and Margo Schlanger, Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is pleased to announce the release for public comment of our draft Environmental Justice Strategy. This draft strategy outlines DHS’s approach to incorporating environmental justice into the homeland security missions most applicable to environmental justice considerations.

DHS is committed to meeting the goals of Executive Order 12898, “Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations” and the interagency Memorandum of Understanding on Environmental Justice and Executive Order 12898 -- which state that participating federal agencies should take into account environmental justice considerations as part of their policies, programs and activities.

We invite you to comment on the draft strategy. Please send your comments via e-mail to Environmental.Justice@hq.dhs.gov by Friday, January 13, 2012. DHS will then review those comments and finalize the strategy, while continuing our ongoing dialogue with stakeholders.

The draft Strategy is being released in coordination with several other federal agencies who, along with DHS, participate in an Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice. Within DHS, offices and components throughout the Department have actively participated in the creation of the strategy and in the Department’s ongoing work on environmental justice.

As we work every day to help keep our nation safe, we are mindful of the impact of our activities on individuals and communities. We look forward to continuing this dialogue with stakeholders and the public on incorporating environmental justice practices into our homeland security efforts.

Read the draft DHS Environmental Justice Strategy.

Posted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Deputy Commissioner David Aguilar, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deputy Director Kumar Kibble, and Senior Counselor to the Secretary Alice Hill.

Last week, we joined the Polaris Project to launch CBP’s “Don’t be Fooled” campaign. As part of the Department’s continued efforts to engage a broader audience in our efforts to combat human trafficking, "Don’t Be Fooled" will utilize award-winning public service announcements (PSAs) to educate the public on human trafficking in targeted communities throughout the country.

Today the PSAs, titled "Masquerade" and "Bird Cage" respectively, will begin airing in Florida, Georgia and the Washington, D.C., metro area. The PSAs were created and adapted by CBP from those previously used in Central America and Mexico to raise awareness among potential victims of human trafficking, and are intended to encourage the American public to remain aware and take appropriate action if they witness human trafficking in their own communities.











These videos are one part of DHS’ Blue Campaign to raise awareness and protect the victims of human trafficking, and both CBP and ICE play critical roles in these efforts—from screening travelers entering the United States, to investigating human trafficking activity domestically and training law enforcement abroad. Through the commitment of our employees and officers, and with the collaboration of partners such as the Polaris Project, we will continue to pursue all avenues to end human trafficking and protect its victims.

For more information on DHS’ work to combat human trafficking, visit: http://www.dhs.gov/humantrafficking.