President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed legislation from Sen. Josh Hawley that will fund 200 additional child exploitation investigators, a major expansion of federal resources after the Department of Homeland Security operated with just seven forensic analysts dedicated to such cases nationwide.
“My legislation with Tim Tebow to rescue thousands of kids from online child exploitation was just signed into law by President Trump,” Hawley told Fox News Digital in a statement. “I want to thank the President for leading on this vital issue. This is the largest surge against child trafficking ever by the federal government. Time is of the essence. Let’s rescue these children.”
The measure, included in the $70 billion reconciliation package, which provides $38 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and $26 billion for Border Patrol, which passed the House Tuesday, would invest $108.5 million in child trafficking and exploitation enforcement. Hawley’s office said it would be the largest federal investment ever made to combat child trafficking.
DHS HAS ONLY 7 CHILD EXPLOITATION ANALYSTS, HAWLEY MEASURE WOULD FUND 200 INVESTIGATORS
The provision, according to Hawley’s office, was driven in part by former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, who testified March 3 during Hawley’s Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism on exposing rampant child trafficking.
Tebow said during his testimony that 338,000 unique IP addresses have downloaded, shared or distributed child rape images in the United States in a matter of months, but only a small number are looked into.
The measure, developed from Hawley’s Renewed Hope Act, gives Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) the funding to hire 40 new forensic analysts at the Victim Identification Laboratory at the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit of HSI, as well as 30 new child exploitation investigators at the Victim Identification Laboratory of the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit of HSI.
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It also gives HSI the ability to employ 130 additional forensic analysts and child exploitation investigators, as well as create a dedicated training program in victim identification for federal, state and local law enforcement to collaborate more effectively on investigations.
The White House referred Fox News Digital to Trump’s comments in the Oval Office during the signing of the Secure America Act.
“The bill provides crucial funding to domestic law enforcement investigations, combating child exploitation, continuing our work to restore law and order across our nation and to protect America’s youth,” Trump said.
Fox News Digital also reached out to DHS for comment.
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