1. United States
2. R.I.
3. Letter

I am writing to you today with a request for principled and fearless legislative action. Like many Americans, I expect our leaders to prioritize truth and accountability over "partisan political theater." The recent disclosures in the Jeffrey Epstein files have highlighted a profound "institutional failure" that allowed predatory practices to continue for decades. As Secretary Hillary Clinton recently stated, it is "unfathomable" that such individuals could receive "sweetheart deals" while their crimes remained largely invisible to the law. My heart breaks for the survivors, and like Secretary Clinton, I am "furious on their behalf." However, accountability for the names in those files is only the first step. We must move beyond the "one-off tabloid sensation" and address the "global scourge" of human trafficking by creating a government system that makes these crimes impossible to repeat. In the spirit of the standards Secretary Clinton set during her tenure—insisting that the United States hold itself to the "highest standard" in the world, I am calling on the Rhode Island delegation to lead the charge for a comprehensive federal system that protects all people in U.S. custody. Whether they are citizens or non-citizens, prisoners, detainees, or enemy combatants, no person under the watch of the United States should ever be vulnerable to kidnapping, slavery, sexual abuse, or human trafficking. To be "worthy of the trust the American people have given you," I ask that you pursue the following: • Total Transparency: Ensure the full release of relevant files with redactions that protect survivors, not "powerful men and political allies." • Systemic Oversight of Custody: Establish an independent, non-partisan oversight body to monitor all federal detention facilities and prisons to ensure that those in state care are never exploited or trafficked. • Legislative Teeth: Put forth and support legislation that provides the resources necessary to "force the administration to act," ensuring that anti-trafficking offices are fully staffed with experts rather than gutted for political reasons. • Accountability for Facilitators: Demand testimony from the prosecutors and officials who allowed past predators to escape justice, ensuring that the legal system can no longer be used as a shield for the powerful. Secretary Clinton reminded us that "human trafficking, forced labor, and sexual slavery" have been invisible for too long. We cannot allow them to slip back into the shadows. We expect "statesmanship, not gamesmanship." We expect you to use your power to protect the vulnerable and ensure that "modern slavery has no place in America." I look forward to your response and to seeing your leadership on this critical issue of human rights