Press Releases

Catherine Chen, CEO of Polaris, was appointed by Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas to the Homeland Security Advisory Council. Chen joins 32 other new members on the Council, the principal external advisory body to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The USDA notice cancelling the Farm Labor Survey will lower the salaries of H-2A workers and also leaves them at more risk of human trafficking.

Polaris is excited to announce the appointment of veteran anti trafficking strategist Catherine Chen as the organization’s new chief executive officer.

In the past week, the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline has received numerous reports involving text messages claiming the recipient has an unclaimed package awaiting delivery.

The U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline reports an overall increase in human trafficking situations last year, and an increase in survivors contacting the Trafficking Hotline directly. 

Over the past several days the National Human Trafficking Hotline has received hundreds of reports that reference viral posts claiming Wayfair has been involved in sex trafficking children.

Polaris tracked the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on victims and survivors of sex and labor trafficking. As part of this effort, Polaris has undertaken a systematic examination of relevant data from the Polaris-operated U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline. The data brief includes the findings of this analysis and policy recommendations.

Polaris stands in solidarity with all who are protesting the violence against Black Americans and the systemic injustice in our communities. We mourn the many incidences of police brutality that overwhelmingly plague Black communities.

Polaris detalla las distintas industrias que en los Estados Unidos ofrecen un terreno fértil para la trata de personas y explotación de latinoamericanos y caribeños.

In a new report, Polaris describes the industries that prey on communities from Latin America and the Caribbean for human trafficking and exploitation in the United States.

Polaris's new Financial Intelligence Unit, which is made possible by financial and subject matter support from PayPal, is designed to leverage intelligence from the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline and other sources to interrupt trafficker cash flows and enable prosecutions for financial crimes including money laundering.

The proposed bill does not solely decriminalize sex work in an attempt to help keep people in prostitution safer. It also repeals crimes related to pimping, brothel-keeping, and sex buying.