WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is asking the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to continue to explain how underage victims are treated once they are rescued from forced prostitution as he works to gauge whether additional protections are needed, including how to protect foster care minors from exploitation.  Grassley’s questions to the agency started after a law enforcement operation rescued eighteen minors, including three from the foster care system, in connection with the Super Bowl earlier this year.

     “From my inquiry so far, it seems the FBI has taken positive steps, including making clear that those who are forced into prostitution are victims, not criminals,” Grassley said.  “The FBI also has a coordinated effort that has recovered a number of juvenile victims.  But it’s important to track what happens to victims after rescue.  Are they getting the protections and services they need to stay safe?  Or are they ending up back in dangerous situations?   If they came from foster care, did the system fail to protect them?  These are the kinds of questions the FBI can help to answer.”  

     Grassley wrote to FBI Director James Comey on March 4, soon after the FBI publicized its Super Bowl operation, which rescued eighteen minors from forced prostitution as part of the FBI’s Innocence Lost National Initiative.  
The FBI responded on April 1, providing some details about the juvenile victims, including the fact that three of the victims came from foster care.  On April 25, Grassley wrote a follow-up letter to Comey, seeking details about the FBI’s Innocence Lost National Initiative in general and the Super Bowl case in particular.

     Last December, Grassley cosponsored a measure passed by the Finance Committee to identify and protect foster youth who are vulnerable to sex trafficking.  The House Ways and Means Committee is considering a similar measure today.

     Grassley, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a longtime advocate for improving foster care, especially the challenges facing those who age out of the system.  He is the co-founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Caucus on Foster Youth.

     Grassley is former Chairman and Ranking Member of the Finance Committee.  He is a senior member of the committee.

     Grassley’s March 4 letter to Comey is available here.  The FBI’s April 1 response is available here.  Grassley’s April 25 letter to Comey is available here.
 

-30-