In southern Minnesota, an operation involving Backpage.com resulted in 48 arrests around the towns of New Ulm and Mankato

Klobuchar has been a national leader in the fight to combat human trafficking; Cosponsored the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act to ensure that websites such as Backpage.com, which knowingly facilitate sex trafficking, can be held liable and brought to justice

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar released the following statement today on the announcement that Backpage.com, a major facilitator of sex trafficking in the United States, has been seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Last year, Senator Klobuchar and a bipartisan group of senators introduced the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act to ensure justice for victims of sex trafficking and ensure that websites such as Backpage.com, which knowingly facilitate sex trafficking, can be held liable and brought to justice.

“Websites like Backpage.com facilitate sex trafficking across Minnesota and our country. The announcement by the FBI that they have seized this website and affiliated sites is long overdue, but another positive step forward in the fight against human trafficking. We must keep working to bring perpetrators to justice and get victims the support they deserve."

Klobuchar is a national leader in the fight to combat human trafficking. In 2015, Klobuchar’s Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act was signed into law. The legislation increased the resources and tools available for combating human trafficking in the United States, and established the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking. Earlier this year, Klobuchar and Senator John Thune (R-SD)’s bipartisan Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act was signed into law. The legislation designates a human trafficking prevention coordinator at the U.S. Department of Transportation and increase outreach and education efforts at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to help prevent human trafficking. Last year, the Abolish Human Trafficking Act Klobuchar introduced with Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and the Trafficking Victims Protection Act she and Cornyn introduced with Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) both passed the Senate.  

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