July 30, 2025

Wyden Calls for Investigation Into Reported Diversion of Resources From Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Investigations By Department of Homeland Security

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called for an immediate investigation of reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has drastically diverted resources away from investigations into serious crimes against children, including child sexual abuse and human trafficking, in order to devote more resources to rounding up immigrants.

“Instead of locking up rapists, child predators and other violent criminals, Trump appears to be diverting investigators to target cooks, farm workers and students. Congress and the American people will not tolerate the Trump administration ignoring the ongoing sexual abuse of vulnerable children,” wrote Wyden in the letter to DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) at DHS is responsible for investigating serious crimes, and is one of the leading agencies charged with investigating child sexual abuse materials online. The 7,000 HSI agents are supposed to focus on investigating drug smuggling, human trafficking, and child sex trafficking, among other crossborder criminal activities. According to DHS, HSI arrested over 3,000 individuals for crimes against children and rescued over 1,000 victims of child exploitation in 2020 alone.

Wyden’s letter cites a recent report published by the Atlantic, which stated that HSI “supervisors have waved agents off new cases so they have more time to make immigration-enforcement arrests,” and quoted one agent describing the impact: “No drug cases, no human trafficking, no child exploitation.” 

Wyden has been a staunch advocate in the Senate for increasing resources for investigating sex trafficking and prosecuting predators to protect vulnerable children. In January 2024, Wyden introduced bipartisan legislation to protect children from online exploitation. In June 2024, he released information from his investigation into child abuse and neglect in youth residential treatment facilities across the United States. In September 2024, he urged existing authorities to protect and strengthen services for children susceptible to abuse enrolled in Medicaid in the child welfare program.

The full text of the letter is here.

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