HSI Eastern Shore supports 4th annual Anti-Human Trafficking Conference in Maryland
Members of HSI Baltimore joined experts, activists and local leaders to take part in the fourth annual Anti-Human Trafficking Conference Jan. 22 at the Salisbury University campus.
SALISBURY, Md. — Special agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore’s Eastern Shore field office supported a local human trafficking awareness event Jan. 22 at Salisbury University’s Center for Healthy Communities.
The Center for Healthy Communities invited HSI Baltimore and other experts, activists and local leaders to take part in the fourth annual Anti-Human Trafficking Conference at the Salisbury University campus.
“HSI is always honored when the community asks us to partner with them for such a worthy and necessary cause,” said HSI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris. “Human trafficking is a plague in our community and on our society, and we are consistently working to combat it by prosecuting traffickers and ensuring that victims receive the assistance they require to help them heal.”
The event, which commemorated National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, explored aspects of the global human trafficking crisis through engaging discussions and informative presentations.
Guest speakers included Special Agent Kason Washington from HSI Baltimore’s Eastern Shore field office; Dr. Danielle Thomas, child sex trafficking regional navigator for the Life Crisis Center; and Debra Holbrook, founding board member and president elect of the Academy of Forensic Nursing and director of forensic nursing at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.
State and local law enforcement officials, public school personnel, licensed mental and behavioral health professionals, and community members from across the Lower Eastern Shore also attended.
The event concluded with a “Red Sand” ceremony, where participants gathered outside Salisbury University’s student union building to spread red sand onto the sidewalk. The nationally recognized ritual spreads red sand into sidewalk cracks to represent vulnerabilities that can lead to human trafficking, modern slavery and exploitation, and to create opportunities for reflection to question, connect and take action against these crimes.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’ largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.
Learn more about HSI Baltimore’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, @HSIBaltimore.
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