Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), author of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, has praised President Trump’s release of the State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report for 2025. The TIP report, mandated by Smith’s legislation, evaluates countries’ efforts to combat human trafficking and ranks them accordingly.
“I wholeheartedly welcome President Trump’s TIP report of 2025, and I applaud his commitment to protecting victims of sex and labor trafficking and demanding accountability from countries who fail to meet the necessary anti-trafficking criteria outlined in my TVPA,” Smith stated.
Smith emphasized the importance of highlighting nations that are not addressing human trafficking effectively. “The President is absolutely right to spotlight and criticize those countries that are not only failing to stop human trafficking, but in many cases, are actively profiting from it,” he said.
He pointed out ongoing concerns about state-sponsored forced labor in China and Cuba, as well as an increase in scam centers across Southeast Asia. According to Smith, these issues have global repercussions: “State-sponsored forced labor in China, Cuba, and elsewhere, coupled with the explosion of Southeast Asian scam centers, is devastating lives and families around the world—including here in the United States, where traffickers scammed Americans out of over $12.5 billion in 2024 alone.”
Smith noted that several countries have been ranked Tier 3—the lowest ranking—for their handling of human trafficking. “It is no surprise, then, that these same countries are ranked Tier 3—the worst and most egregious perpetrators of human trafficking throughout the globe, who are subject to economic and security sanctions. The dereliction and dismissal of human rights and individual freedoms in these countries have allowed this form of modern-day slavery—human trafficking—to thrive and endure,” he continued.
“This report provides a modern blueprint for combatting and preventing human trafficking around the globe, and I look forward to working with President Trump and his efficacious administration to hold the most flagrantly offending countries responsible,” Smith added.
“For the more than 27 million men, women, and children that are still currently trapped in human trafficking worldwide, this year’s TIP report helps to pave the pathway to justice,” stated Smith.
This year’s TIP report highlights include a record number of convictions for labor trafficking globally; participation by 183 states in the UN TIP Protocol; adoption of comprehensive anti-trafficking laws by 138 nations; national coordinating bodies established by 155 governments; continued reports on forced labor affecting ethnic minorities in China; exploitation through Cuban medical missions; Russian-led conscription practices involving Ukrainians; North Korea’s prison camps holding tens of thousands; and Laos being downgraded due to persistent issues within Special Economic Zones.
Smith referenced his own efforts on this issue: he held a hearing titled “From Bait to Plate—How Forced Labor in China Taints America’s Seafood Supply Chain” through the Congressional Executive Commission on China.
“Over the last 25 years, the TIP Report has transformed our global understanding of trafficking,” Smith said. “We now recognize that trafficking does not always involve cross-border movement; it happens within countries, in our towns, and in our neighborhoods. The report has helped governments to craft stronger laws, given service providers tools to better protect victims, and held traffickers—and complicit officials—accountable.”
He also cautioned against complacency: “Despite progress, governments worldwide continue to miss most victims, and survivors too often face barriers to services. Trafficking remains a hidden crime. We must redouble our efforts, ensure coordinated and survivor-informed care, and never let traffickers operate with impunity.”
Smith is currently serving as U.S. Representative for New Jersey’s 4th district—a position he has held since replacing Frank Thompson in 1981—and continues his legislative work on anti-trafficking measures with recent reauthorization acts named after Frederick Douglass.
The Frederick Douglass TVPRA of 2025 aims at strengthening protections for children and families domestically while pressing foreign governments for greater accountability regarding human trafficking within their borders.
