The administration has hired a new contractor to run the hotline.
The Trump administration is bolstering the National Human Trafficking Hotline and partnering with a new contractor after the longtime administrator of the hotline faced allegations of mismanagement.
The Department of Health and Human Services’s Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announced Monday a five year, $35 million grant agreement with Compass Connections to become the new operator of the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
“ACF heard ongoing concerns about the National Human Trafficking Hotline and acted quickly to select a new service provider to strengthen coordination, connect survivors with high-quality resources, and, as appropriate, share information with law enforcement to help survivors leave their trafficking situation or find justice,” said acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison.
“Every survivor who reaches out should count on timely, confidential support, and a system that delivers help in moments of crisis and on the path to recovery.”
HHS is increasing the annual funding by $1 million, bringing it to $7 million annually. The Trump administration aims to improve the hotline’s response to crisis calls, texts, and chats. In order to fully support victims, the administrations seeks to strengthen coordination with survivor advocates, law enforcement agencies, child welfare agencies, and service providers.
Compass Connections is replacing the Polaris Project as the contractor tasked with administering the human trafficking hotline. Polaris Project took over the hotline in 2007 and faced allegations of misconduct as HHS was in the process of deciding whether to renew the company’s government contract. The contractor routinely failed to contact law enforcement in a timely manner after receiving credible reports of trafficking, critics alleged.
In its announcement, HHS said the change came after “ACF received and verified ongoing and concerning feedback” about the hotline’s failure to meet stakeholder needs.
An HHS official told National Review that Polaris’s alleged failures were taken into consideration during the grant awarding process. The process includes independent, third-party paneling and Compass Connections performed well in the review.
Gradison’s decision to move on from Polaris was impacted by ACF’s recent trip to Mississippi where he gained first hand experience with state AG Lynn Fitch (R), the HHS official said. During the visit, Fitch oversaw Operation Guardian Force, a two-week law enforcement effort that resulted in 72 arrests and the recovery of 29 human trafficking victims.
Gradison also called the hotline himself and experienced long wait times, an unacceptable outcome for a crisis hotline where rapid response is essential for saving victims.
A group of over 40 state Attorneys General wrote a letter in April to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. raising the alarm about Polaris no longer sharing tips with local law enforcement, a protocol that jeopardized the ability of law enforcement to attack human trafficking operations. The bipartisan outcry came two years after the AGs issued a similar warning to congressional leaders of both parties about the hotline’s failures under the Biden administration.
In May, a whistleblower corroborated the allegations against Polaris with disclosures to Senator Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa). The whistleblower disclosed specific instances where Polaris policies led to situations where the hotline failed to report tips to law enforcement, as NR reported at the time.
Empower Oversight, a whistleblower protection group, told Grassley that the whistleblower, a Polaris employee, made disclosures within the organization and to government offices, including the HHS inspector general. The person was placed on leave around the time of the disclosures.
Empower Oversight is pursuing public records from HHS related to a potential conflict of interest with Polaris and its management of the human trafficking hotline. The legal group filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit last week to further its quest for the public records.
ACF said it developed a transition plan for Polaris to hand over control of the hotline to Compass Connections. The HHS official said it is a 90-day plan and the teams at Polaris and Compass Connections worked on the details of it.
The new grant will require Compass Connections to work with survivors to develop a law enforcement engagement plan to standardize the tip sharing process with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies. In response to feedback, ACF is requiring the hotline to prioritize contacts from individuals in immediate danger, those actively experiencing trafficking, and minors at risk of neglect or abuse.
The hotline is a 24/7 resource for victims of human trafficking to find life-saving assistance and rebuild their lives. It has identified more than 115,000 potential human trafficking situations since it began in 2007 and connected thousands of survivors to vital resources.
ACF’s move is consistent with promises from Trump administration officials to aggressively tackle human trafficking and drug smuggling. The Department of Homeland Security has announced numerous operations against individuals and organizations engaging in human trafficking as part of the administration’s broader immigration crackdown.