Attorney General Pam Bondi’s absence at CPAC’s Summit on Human Trafficking left a noticeable gap in a crucial discussion about one of America’s most pressing crises.
The Daily Caller reported that the event, hosted by CPAC and Kaleido as the third annual International Summit Against Human Trafficking, saw Bondi withdraw due to a torn cornea, missing the chance to join heavyweights like Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Czar Tom Homan in tackling this dire issue.
Bondi’s withdrawal was announced on Wednesday, a disappointing setback for an event poised to spotlight collaborative efforts between the Trump administration, lawmakers, the judiciary, and private sector allies in combating human trafficking.
Her statement, read by Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti, expressed regret: “I’m sorry to miss all of my CPAC friends today.”
It’s a shame, indeed—her voice as a legal authority could have cut through the noise of bureaucratic failures often highlighted at such gatherings.
Alongside Noem and Homan, other prominent figures like Speaker of the House Mike Johnson attended, underscoring the summit’s importance in uniting diverse stakeholders against a scourge that preys on the vulnerable.
The focus wasn’t just on solutions but also on sharp criticism of the current administration’s track record, with speakers pointing to over 300,000 missing children and a drastic reduction of border agents from frontline roles under Biden’s watch.
Border Czar Tom Homan didn’t mince words, stating, “When you remove 70% of agents off the line, that’s when bad things happen.” His point lands hard—neglecting border security isn’t just a policy misstep; it’s a gateway to historic spikes in trafficking and other tragedies like fentanyl deaths.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem added, “We have several agencies that have become specifically skilled and trained to fight human trafficking.”
Her words highlight a stark contrast: while some fight tirelessly, others seem content to let the crisis fester through inaction.
The summit emphasized the Trump administration’s proactive stance, a direct counter to what many see as the Biden administration’s mishandling of border security and child protection, leaving hundreds of thousands of migrant children at risk in the U.S.
A Senate committee report from October 2024 accused the Biden-Harris administration of obstructing investigations into the exploitation of unaccompanied migrant children, painting a grim picture of systemic failures.
That same report didn’t hold back, alleging the White House has been stonewalling Congressional oversight and hindering state-level probes into how these vulnerable children are being managed—or rather, mismanaged.
Adding fuel to the fire, a Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report from August 2024 revealed federal officials have lost track of tens of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children since fiscal year 2019, a staggering lapse in accountability.
The ongoing border crisis remained a central theme at the summit, with the consequences for migrant children living in the U.S. laid bare as a tragic outcome of policy shortcomings.
While progressive agendas often push for open borders as a moral stance, the reality—hundreds of thousands of children unaccounted for—suggests a need for tougher, more practical measures over ideological posturing.