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Text of the Signing Statement from the White House website
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Statement by the President
NATIONAL SECURITY & DEFENSE -- Issued on: December 21, 2018
Today, I have signed into law S. 1311, the “Abolish Human Trafficking Act of 2017” (the “Act”). The Act represents an important step in bolstering the United States Government’s efforts to combat human trafficking.
The Act, however, raises a constitutional concern.
Section 5 of the Act requires the Department of Homeland
Security to take “affirmative measures to avoid
arresting, charging, or prosecuting human trafficking
victims for any offense that is the direct result of
their victimization.” My Administration will interpret
this provision consistent with the prosecutorial
discretion of the executive branch and the President’s
constitutional responsibility to faithfully execute the
laws of the United States.
DONALD J. TRUMP
THE WHITE HOUSE,
December 21, 2018.
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Annotations
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Sources for the Signing Statement
Text of the Affected Law
S. 1311, the Abolish Human Trafficking Act of 2017, has been
designated as Public Law number 115-392.
The text of S. 1311 from the Government Printing Office (GPO) is
available as follows:
1. PDF downloaded from the GPO
2.
PDF on the GPO website
3.
Plain text from the GPO
4. Enrolled text from the GPO