General
Letter to Congress on the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act (March 2, 2026)
March 2, 2026
Dear Representative:
We write on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development and Committee on Migration to express our support for the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act (H.R. 4307), a bill unanimously reported out to the full House by the Committee on Education and Workforce. We are grateful for the bipartisan cooperation demonstrated by Representatives Walberg and McBath in introducing this bill. The straightforward requirements of H.R. 4307 would bolster the U.S. Department of Labor’s important role in combatting human trafficking.
The Catholic Church is a steadfast voice against human trafficking and other forms of exploitation, as well as a longtime provider of services and pastoral care to victims of these crimes. The USCCB has frequently supported legislative efforts, such as H.R. 4307, that advance our nation’s commitment to eradicating the sin of human trafficking, which the Holy See has repeatedly said undermines God-given dignity.[1]
We appreciate the bill’s specific mention of the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division, which plays such an instrumental role in detection and thwarting labor exploitation by unscrupulous employers, especially for children. As Congress begins to deliberate Fiscal Year 2027 funding for the Department of Labor, we renew our previous calls for the long underfunded agency to receive increased support to address its pervasive staffing and resource shortages, particularly given its role in thwarting child labor exploitation, as H.R. 4307 acknowledges.
We also take this opportunity to reiterate our support for, and the need for Congress to pass, the “Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025” (H.R. 1144).[2] This is another important, bipartisan anti-trafficking measure that warrants immediate action as a further step to counter the scourge of human trafficking in our country and beyond.
Thank you for taking our views into consideration regarding these important issues affecting human life and dignity.
Respectfully,
Most Reverend Shelton J. Fabre
Archbishop of Louisville
Chairman, USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development
Most Reverend Brendan J. Cahill
Bishop of Victoria
Chairman, USCCB Committee on Migration
[1] Statement of Monsignor Marco Formica at the High-Level Meeting on the Appraisal of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons (Nov. 25, 2025) https://holyseemission.org/contents/statements/
6925f204553d2.php.
[2] The bill was first reintroduced during the 119th Congress in February 2025 (H.R. 1144). A subsequent version was introduced in April (H.R. 2796). The USCCB supports passage of either version. See Joint Letter to Congress on H.R. 1144 (April 1, 2025), https://www.usccb.org/resources/Joint%20Catholic%20Letter%20on%20H.R.%201144.pdf.