She served as the chief of staff to the department of Homeland Security and then deputy chief of staff to president trump. In the george w. Bush administration she served as senior director on the Homeland Security council. Her current role she supervises several Law Enforcement agencies to play Critical Role in the governments antitrafficking efforts. Both at the border and the interior. From customer border protections to the coast guard and Transportation Security Department of Homeland Security is on the front lines fighting against Human Trafficking. We are fortunate that ths has a leader like secretary nielsen at the hell. Were delighted she can join us here today. Please welcome our secretary of Homeland Security. [applause] it afternoon. Its my pleasure to be here. I want to thank you for being part of the summit today. I want to thank attorney general sessions, the Deputy Attorney general, and rachel for your leadership. Its very important from our perspective that we have partners to fight this fight together. That is in fact what it requires. The diversity of voices the room today from Law Enforcement to nonprofits in the private sector is a reminder that Human Trafficking affects everyone. It takes a united front end and fight it together. This is not a third world problem, its a worldwide problem. Its happening in the united states. Human trafficking is modernday slavery. It enslaves people of all races sexes, backgrounds. Whether sex trafficking, forced labor for domestic servitude we know its happening in our community. Victims make hotel beds that we sleep in, they prepare the food that we eat. Theyre often invisible until you look just a little closer. When you do, you see fear, hunger, bruises. Desperation, and hopelessness. Once you see it i encourage you not to be silent. Thanks to partners like the department of justice we can bring these folks to justice. Less than three weeks ago a wisconsin man was sentenced to 21 years in prison. For more than a decade of emotional missile, sexual assault, and threats to victims families. The man who does not deserve her away name. He force multiple women and girls to engage in commercial sex tax and perform it sex clubs. His brutality is unspeakable. When one woman upset him made her choose between punishments. She could either drown or jump out the window. She jumped out the window. After she survived she he kicked her head so far hard her teeth fell out. The fbi and the department of justice, the Milwaukee Police department, and Doj Civil Rights Division of Human Trafficking prosecution unit, today that man is behind bars. And there hope he stays. Stories like this are far too common and they dont always and injustice. Thats why cooperative actions like today summit are so important. We must work together. At the department of Homeland Security, the blue campaign, im wearing blue and honor of that campaign and i hope you will do that next year thats a month we remind everyone of the challenge we face. See unified efforts to raise consciousness about Human Trafficking. In addition to new Public Service announcements will develop industry toolkits and products. Will help you, private industry and nonprofits recognize the signs of trafficking specific to your line of work. Two truckstop cashiers and hotel clerks to emergency room nurses, we want everyone who interacts with the public to recognize the signs, to know what to look for and who to report it to. I asked for your support in the effort. More information can be found on the website. Many components plan Important Role in countering Human Trafficking. Ice and hsi conducts lawenforcement for both international and domestic. Usda us provides eligible noncitizens trafficking victims with immigration relief and they not only identify victims along the borders but continues to interject trailers of illegal aliens into our country. Seventyseven yesterday just one trailer. A federal Law EnforcementTraining Center teaches to identify victims. Ths is a large department. Almost 250,000 strong i will leverage the capabilities and capacities to target traffickers im sure he talked a little bit today about transnational criminal organizations. I want to add my voice to that. The using networks to smuggle dangerous jugs aliens and terrorists inter country. They have no concern for human lives. Their significant and persistent were working to stop them but know that they trafficking human souls. Theres many reasons we have made this a priority to fight and we join the fight at the department of Homeland Security. One example is how we support his Operation Safe haven. They look at the Illegal Movement of women across the southern board and throughout the united states. The single day after 50 month investigation authorities were able to arrest 29 people in 13 cities and eight states. Officers also rescued 15 victims. As an eye specialist charge said this identified women victimized through fraud, course and coercion to the criminals behind these illegal enterprises these women are objects to pull a quick profit and then discarded or passed on to the next trafficker. While these are not synonymous, people illegally struggle are easy for them to pray on. And thats what the Homeland Security is relying on. They live in the shadows, they have no legal protection. They make the perfect victims as they continue to do harm in the country. Were taken the sun to salute pollute our communities with drugs. Where resting the mentor cities and pursuing them to the ends of the earth. Back to take a moment to thank our partners at the doj. 2017 they had convictions against 499 defendants in prosecuting. 471 involve sex trafficking and 28 labor trafficking. Several investigations involve both. The department of justice is an invaluable partner an ally and we thank them. Moving Forward Together for making it harder for criminals to thrive. But to secure homeland we need to change our approach to Border Security and immigration. Is just at the National Targeting Center with the president where we discussed the challenges in some proposed solutions. The president outlined a framework to secure our borders. Were committed to securing our borders and ending the factors for immigration that make trafficking easy. We need a border wall system. Walls worked, when i say wall system, its not just the infrastructure, said technology and personnel. Its closing the loopholes that prevent my agents who put their lives on the line every day from being able to remove those they apprehend at the border. We propose both technology, the infrastructure and those that exploit our system and smugglers to succeed. We seek a solution to and these and we asked for mandatory conviction for aliens have convicted of a crime. One loophole is that those with gang affiliations who we find are involved in the trafficking trade by virtue of their gang affiliation with their suspected of a crime we are restricted from removing them or using that as criteria at the border. These are the loopholes we look to change. Instead of asking immigrants what they can do we want to ask what they can do for country. As you seen were looking to see change the way we do Legal Immigration as well. We will secure our borders, enforce laws and create a Border Security that creates easy access in and out. By empowering them to do their jobs become more effectively come back this together. I ask you to be part of this team. Our work is far from over and i ask you to join us. I wonder share a quote from a Human Trafficking survivor in an joint investigation. She said, i was 15 at the time and was a runaway. I never called the police because i felt it was my fault. I felt like i had to stay. You have to have your selfworth, do not. Its okay to ask for help, were victims. You can have the worst past but that doesnt mean you can have a successful future. Together we can help those and countless others have a successful future. Together we can help bring traffickers to justice. Together we can help stop Human Trafficking. Thank you for your time. Its crucial to have partnerships like yours. We need to hear your voices and perspectives in the capabilities you can offer and best practices of whats working. What to think doj for hosting and leading us in this fight. Thank you very much for your time. [applause] [cheering] continue around the world and work tirelessly to advance peace, justice. A human rights champion for ethnic and minority targeted