Republican Senators are pressing for hearings on human trafficking and citing the groundswell of alarm set off by the movie “Sound of Freedom.”
Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin led a GOP letter to the Democratic chairmen of the Seante’s Judiciary, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Foreign Relations committees that highlighted the need for the hearings.
“The United States Senate must continue to conduct much-needed oversight of this administration’s border policies to find immediate solutions to combat one of the most disturbing consequences of inadequate border security: the proliferation of human trafficking,” the senators said.
They said that “Sound of Freedom,” which is based on the true story of former Homeland Security Investigations agent Tim Ballard’s efforts to rescue victims from a Colombian sex-trafficking ring, has “played an important role in creating public awareness of this modern-day form of slavery.”
The chairmen of the Senate committees did not respond to requests for comment.
”Sound of Freedom” has been a surprise box office hit and has grossed over $100 million. The anti-child sex-trafficking film, which was produced on a $14.5 million budget, shocked movie critics when it was among the top 20 biggest releases this year, beating out A-list cast films.
The senators told the chairmen that “given your committees’ roles in overseeing DHS, we urge you to investigate and hold hearings into DHS’s efforts to combat human trafficking. Without our attention and leadership, human trafficking will continue to plague this country.”
According to new a new poll conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies, 59% of Democratic voters had a “favorable” or “very favorable” opinion of the move, while 10% viewed it unfavorably.
Among Republican voters, 65% had a positive view of the film, as did 73% of third-party voters and 49% of non-voters.
Of the Republicans surveyed, 74% said the movie’s representation of human trafficking was “reasonably accurate” or “very accurate,” while 57% of Democrats said the same.
Source:Washington Times
