Paying the Price; Trump’s Anti-DEI Orders and Human Trafficking
As many of you are likely aware, President Trump swiftly signed a collection of executive orders in the beginning of his presidency, two of which specifically targeted our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives; One order, titled “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing”, mandates the removal of policies, programs, and activities relating to “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility”. Another, titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” instructs the removal of all “radical gender ideology guidance, communication, policies, and forms”. They say this is because DEI policies “violate federal civil rights laws” by acknowledging and “favoring” individuals’ due to their demographic identity, stating that it is used as a “guise” for racial and sex-based preferences.
We, as the American people, must wake up. They’re not hiding what they want, they’re doing it blatantly, out in the open, and in front of your face. There is no room for denying or obfuscating or playing the middle. These orders are turning back the clock and stripping us of our rights, and in more ways than you may think. Due to Anti- DEI legislation, The US government has ordered law enforcement agencies, the state department and some non-profit organizations working to combat sex trafficking to remove references to victims’ LGBTQ+ identities, race and immigration status from their communications and websites, a move that has, and will continue to, endanger vulnerable women, men, and children . Did you know this? And if you didn’t, Ask yourself why; Who is fighting to keep it from you? And why don't they want you to know?
How could they get away with this? Is it legal? What even is an executive order?
EOs are a routine part of each presidency change. They are, in their simplest form, just a way to announce the current administration's policy priorities and enforce authority of federal agencies.They cannot stop/enforce anything outside of the federal government, but they can (unfortunately) have disastrous effects by leveraging and buying the power of the federal government. Basically, the president is the chief executive officer of the federal executive branch; and as a result, the president gets to dictate many of the personnel practices and operating procedures that govern federal agencies (although there are some limits, which Trump has already breached). These Anti-DEI orders (some legal, some not) can go through, Because, While he can’t take away things like the Civil Rights Act, he can work around it. For example; the Civil Rights Act prohibits the president from engaging in workplace discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, or sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), but it does not require the president to uphold or create workplace DEI programs. So, he is free to get rid of and abandon these efforts.
But I thought Trump was Anti-human trafficking? How do DEI cuts harm this movement?
President Donald Trump's anti-human trafficking stance is a pretty big part of his administration’s campaign. While running for office he continuously prided himself in the fact that he was all about protecting women and children from human trafficking his first term in office, But his current administration has put thousands of children in danger by ending funding for lawyers that help them through immigration court processes. DOGE’s United States Agency for International Development (USAID) workforce cuts (from 10,000 workers to just 300) has resulted in hundreds of organizations that provide necessary and vital services, of been completely upended —including those fighting online child sexual abuse and exploitation— Major police departments across the country, which receive federal grants for investigations on trafficking crimes from the Department of Homeland Security and the office of justice, have now been instructed to stop collecting data on victims’ race and LGBTQ+ identity, including for cases of violent crime and trafficking. The cuts are expected to end 69 programs that have allocated more than $500 million to combat child labor, forced labor and human trafficking, and to enforce labor standards in more than 40 countries. The funding cuts and pauses have immediately made it harder for people to safely escape trafficking, they have shrunk services that provide housing and care, and greatly diminished the amount of people working to stop trafficking; Some organizations already having gone dark, and benefiting those who perpetuate such violent and horrible acts.
Furthering the blow, The Trump administration’s crack down on deportation has resulted in plans to possibly deport these unaccompanied children. Children who have fled trafficking, violence, starvation and abuse are being stripped of legal aid to help them stay in the US; organizations representing the children have been forced to lay off lawyers, search for other ways to fund the legal help or, ultimately, withdraw from cases. What kind of system do we have when our government is more willing to pay an attorney to deport a child than it is to provide the same child with an attorney whose job is to protect their rights?
That “doesn’t have anything to do with us”
The idea that helping people in other countries is “not our problem” is incredibly stupid, but just so it’s known, these mandates and funding cuts are also hurting US victims as well. In the United States, sex workers are often neglected as communities of need. The current structure or criminalization of sex work has created an environment that perpetuates violence and oppression for those who exchange sex, including a variety of health risks from discrimination via laws/policy, law enforcement and healthcare access.
To make matters worse, in 2018 the Trump Administration passed a law known as FOSTA-SESTA, which placed pressure on online platforms to censor their users; leading to the end of many websites that sex workers used for income, a resource to communicate among each other, and the ability to screen potential clients for business. The passage of this law forced many sex workers to turn to street-based sex work without precautionary measures, leaving them more vulnerable to harmful circumstances with violent clients and a lack of agency over their bodies and their work. And the criminalization of sex work does not occur in a vacuum, its effects are amplified by co-occurring structural inequities in the communities in which sex workers live. It causes another layer of fear and anxiety for those who are also criminalized for their lack of housing or drug use, and furthers their inability to access care and resources that would produce better health outcomes.
And before you start shouting about shelters and affordable housing, When sex workers seek resources or support, they’re often met not with care, but with shame and a demand for reform. Many social services -especially shelters-, health clinics, and job programs only offer help under the condition that a person renounce sex work entirely. This “exit-only” model assumes sex work is inherently harmful, ignoring the autonomy of those who choose it and erasing the complex reasons people enter or stay in the industry. Instead of offering nonjudgmental support, these orgs push a narrative of redemption: that to be worthy of housing, food, or medical care, a sex worker must first "change their life." This approach is rooted in moralism and whorephobia, not actual harm reduction. It alienates people who are already marginalized, especially Black, brown, queer, and trans sex workers who face intersecting systems of oppression. Survivors of trafficking or abuse within the industry are often retraumatized by systems that treat them as broken or complicit unless they follow a narrow path of “recovery.” Real support should center autonomy, dignity, and material needs, NOT forced reform.
The Trump administration has also begun giving anti-trafficking funding to Christian based nonprofits first; Shifting anti-trafficking funding from expert-led, secular organizations to Faith-based organizations that lack the training and infrastructure to implement trauma-informed, evidence-based interventions, and prioritize religious messaging over comprehensive care. Such shifts marginalize survivors who do not share the organization’s beliefs, particularly LGBTQ+ individuals, and reduce focus on structural factors that contribute to trafficking, such as poverty and housing insecurity. Additionally, this reallocation raises concerns about accountability, program efficacy, and the erosion of church-state separation, further politicizing a critical human rights and public health issue.
These EO’s are being challenged though, Won’t the (hopefully) returned funding get everything back to normal?
Even if some funding does return, organizations supporting victims will never be the same. Layoffs mean previous staff are forced to either get new jobs or move somewhere they can continue their work. We have not only lost a great amount of the experts in this field, we’ve also damaged relationships with local partners or authorities with whom they used to be working regularly to address these issues. All of this means that trafficking victims will be trapped working in unimaginable conditions while more people in the US and around the world will be at risk of becoming victims. And most importantly, these victims are there now. They shouldn’t have to wait.
XXX
Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics Rhode Island (COYOTE RI)
Share this post