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HYDE-SMITH, GILLIBRAND CELEBRATE ENACTMENT OF TRAFFICKING SURVIVORS RELIEF ACT
Bipartisan Law Provides Federal Protections for Human Trafficking Survivors
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) today celebrated the enactment of their legislation to allow nonviolent offenses to be vacated or expunged from the record of survivors of human trafficking who were forced to commit criminal acts by their traffickers.
The Trafficking Survivors Relief Act (S.2255/HR.4323) was signed into law by President Trump on Friday after passing both the Senate and House unanimously in December, marking a historic step in supporting survivors of human trafficking. Its enactment comes as the nation marks January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
“Human trafficking affects communities nationwide and often leaves survivors with lasting legal and social consequences,” Senator Hyde-Smith said. “With this law now in place, survivors can clear their records of nonviolent offenses committed under duress. It gives them a real opportunity to start fresh and focus on healing and building a stable future.”
“I am thrilled that my bipartisan Trafficking Survivors Relief Act has been signed into law. This represents significant progress in the effort to support victims of human trafficking, protecting them against the vicious cycle of criminalization that arises when their traffickers force them to break the law. I want to thank Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and Reps. Russell Fry and Ted Lieu for their partnership in getting this bill across the finish line, and I am so grateful to all of the survivors who have bravely come forward and shared their stories. Our work continues in the fight to end human trafficking once and for all,” Senator Gillibrand said.
First introduced by Gillibrand in 2016 and reintroduced in subsequent Congresses with bipartisan support, most recently alongside Hyde-Smith in 2025, the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act:
- Allows survivors to vacate and expunge nonviolent criminal convictions or arrest records incurred as a direct result of being trafficked.
- Allows for an individual’s status as a victim of trafficking to be a mitigating factor for courts to consider when imposing a prison sentence for violent crimes.
- Requires U.S. attorneys to submit a report one year after enactment detailing the number of motions filed under the law.
- Ensures U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime and Office on Violence Against Women grant funding can be used for legal representation for post-conviction relief activities.
While many states already offer pathways for trafficking survivors to clear records, this is the first federal statute providing nationwide protections.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch and several other state Attorneys General supported this legislation, alongside stakeholder organizations including the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Faith & Freedom Coalition, Right on Crime, National Center on Sexual Exploitation, American Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, and Moms for America.
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