U.S. Republican senate candidate Bill Hagerty weighed in on human trafficking and said it is a serious problem that affects every county in Tennessee.
Hagerty said this in an op-ed in The Chattanoogan.
“Human trafficking is a serious problem, and it affects every county in Tennessee. According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, human trafficking is the ‘fastest growing criminal industry behind drugs.’ Since 2007, in Tennessee, there have been 823 human trafficking cases reported, with 93 cases reported in 2019 alone. Chattanooga is more susceptible to this epidemic because of the many roadways, including I-75 and I-24, and its proximity to Atlanta – a major hub in human trafficking. Human trafficking isn’t just happening in other countries or other states; it’s happening right here at home,” Hagerty said.
“Tennessee is blessed with community leaders and law enforcement officers who are deeply committed to putting an end to human trafficking and we are united in the fight against this modern day slavery, but there is much more to be done to stop this growing epidemic. As a Christian, as a parent, and as an American, I am deeply troubled by this horrific crime, and I will stop at nothing to end human trafficking once and for all. To that end, we must continue to crack down on websites and social media accounts that promote human trafficking. The internet is one of the most significant recruiting tools for human traffickers, and we must take action against websites that facilitate human trafficking. As your Senator, I will always support initiatives that limit recruiting tools for human traffickers and make the internet a safer place for our children.”
Hagerty went on to say that we must provide support for survivors of human trafficking.
“These victims have endured unthinkable hell, and together, as a community, we must embrace them and provide them with the care and the resources they need to rebuild their lives. Providing support for victims includes ensuring they have access to justice. Human traffickers – those who exploit others and force them into modern day slavery — should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law — and that includes the death penalty. Human trafficking is one of the most atrocious crimes, and the death penalty should absolutely be considered for these criminals,” Hagerty said.
“Tennessee has been a leader in curbing human trafficking, but we must remain committed to ending this growing epidemic. As your Senator, I will continue to support efforts to combat human trafficking and work with Senator Marsha Blackburn and President Trump to ensure our local communities and government have the resources they need to put an end to this nightmare once and for all.”
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Sounds good, especially in an election year, but likely would have no effect. This would work if it didn’t take so many years to enforce the death penalty. Its been shown that the death penalty is not a determent for crimes.
What might make sense though is to go after those who are buying these “services”. Jail those who are paying and place on them the shame of what they are doing.
Everytime I hear or see Hagerty, I think of Romney, Haslam, Alexander and Corker, the rinos he learned his politics from. Tennessee does NOT need anymore liberal rinos elected to state wide office. THINK before you vote for another one!
Death penalty for human traffickers YES YES YES !!!!
Honestly, this obsession with “human trafficking” is baffling to me.
893 cases in 12 YEARS isnt an epidemic. Blackburn’s focus on it and now this guy is absurd to me.
93 cases in 2019–OK fine, let the Law Enforcement ppl do their jobs. Seems like there are MANY more things to focus on,
I really want to hear this guy talk about Illegal Immigration, the Border and Sanctuary Cities.