Houston Airport System (HAS) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to develop a human outreach campaign to combat human trafficking.
The MoU was signed as part of a program called Blue Lightning Initiative (BLI), which is an element of the DHS’s Blue Campaign led by DOT and DHS Component Agency, US Customs and Border Protection. BLI trains personnel to combat human trafficking within the commercial aviation industry. HAS is the first airport system in the country to become a formal BLI partner.
“DHS is proud to announce a BLI partnership with the Houston Airport System. Airport employees will play a vital role in combating human trafficking in Houston through identifying possible victims and reporting these suspicions to law enforcement. We look forward to continuing this important relationship and further efforts to combat human trafficking in our country,” said Kaitlin Seale, program manager, DHS Blue Campaign.
In addition to the BLI campaign, HAS’s related efforts include training in coordination with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and an art initiative to increase awareness of human trafficking. HAS also added an anti-trafficking statement to its fly2houston.com website.