Ending Christian Persecution and Combating Human Trafficking: CPAC Coalitions and the Trump Administration in 2025

It has been one year since President Donald Trump’s historic inauguration, where he pledged to put America first, ensuring that laws are enforced and the vulnerable are protected. The Trump Administration has prioritized the protection of persecuted Christians and survivors of human trafficking with policies that close human trafficking networks and pressure countries that persecute Christians. The CPAC Ending Christian Persecution Coalition and the CPAC Combating Human Trafficking Coalition played a substantive role in informing these efforts, ensuring that advocacy initiatives were translated into concrete policies that protect the vulnerable.

Through the work of the CPAC Ending Christian Persecution Coalition, the Trump Administration reinforced the United States’ longstanding commitment to religious liberty. In October, the CPAC and coalition partners met with White House officials for a roundtable on Christian persecution. Following the meeting, President Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), reinstating a mechanism that requires diplomatic consequences for sustained and severe violations of religious freedom. 

Coordination among faith leaders, legal experts, and policymakers continued on October 30 at the CPAC Ending Christian Persecution Summit at the Trump-Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where administration officials Faith Director of the White House Faith Office Jenny Korn, Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism Dr. Sebastian Gorka, and Principal Advisor Global Religious Freedom at U.S. State Department Mark Walker discussed the relationship between religious persecution, regional instability, and how the U.S. can better protect Christians around the world.

The Trump Administration has also prioritized combating human trafficking networks at the border and standing up for victims, ensuring the federal government is fighting for them and holding perpetrators accountable with the support of CPAC's Combating Human Trafficking Coalition. On November 13, 2025, with the advocacy of First Lady Melania Trump, President Trump signed the Executive Order "Fostering the Future for American Children and Families,” which focused on prevention by addressing systemic vulnerabilities in the foster care system. By incorporating foster care reform into the trafficking prevention strategy, the Trump Administration addressed a documented risk factor frequently exploited by traffickers. Leah Stauffer of Half a Million Kids, a CPAC coalition partner, contributed her expertise to ensure the policy addressed the intersection of foster care and trafficking effectively. With data indicating that approximately 60 percent of rescued trafficking victims have a history in foster care, the initiative reflected a preventative framework emphasizing early intervention and safer child welfare.

In December, Congress passed the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act, a legislative priority advanced after eight years of sustained advocacy. The CPAC Center for Combating Human Trafficking joined a roundtable at the White House, bringing together lawmakers and Administration officials from the Department of Justice, U.S. House of Representatives, and U.S. Senate to develop key strategies to not only pass but fully implement the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act. The bipartisan measure established a federal process allowing survivors to seek expungement of non-violent criminal records incurred as a result of coercion. By removing statutory barriers to employment and housing, the legislation addressed long-standing impediments to survivor reintegration and reinforced a justice framework focused on restoration rather than continued penalization.

Last year was a historic year for America, with a President who is fighting for the vulnerable. Through targeted diplomatic pressure, prevention-focused policies, and bipartisan legislative reform, the Trump Administration, working in coordination with Congress and CPAC coalitions, advanced historic protections for persecuted Christians and survivors of human trafficking. This collaboration ensured that advocacy efforts translated into concrete policy results, addressing both the root causes and long-term consequences of persecution and trafficking. As these initiatives continue to be implemented, they reinforce the United States’ role as a defender of religious liberty and human dignity and establish a framework for sustained protection of the vulnerable and responsible governance in the years ahead.