Bondi announces new measures to combat human trafficking on northern border

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced new measures to combat crime along the U.S.-Canada border. The Trump administration will expand the funds for existing resources to end human smuggling and trafficking rings.

At a press conference in Tampa, Fla., Bondi reported that agents will be sent to the northern border from the task force known as Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), whose goal is to crack down on human trafficking. The targeted areas will be New York and Vermont's borders with Canada.

"This Department of Justice is investigating and prosecuting human smuggling more aggressively than ever before, and Joint Task Force Alpha is the tip of the spear," the attorney general said during her appearance.

"We will not rest until those who profit from the suffering of vulnerable people — including many unaccompanied children — face severe, comprehensive justice," Bondi added.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti, of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Criminal Division, said: "By elevating and expanding JTFA, we are extending that reach across both our northern and southern borders and sending a clear message to cartels and transnational criminal organizations: the Department of Justice will relentlessly pursue those who endanger human life through smuggling and trafficking activities, and we will not stop until these groups are eliminated."

Created in 2021, the JTFA "marshals the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to enhance U.S. enforcement efforts against the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups," according to the DOJ website.