What Is the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA)? - Rajat Shankar
Episode notes
From Shankar & Associates PC - What Is the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA)? explains how the Trafficking Victims Protection Act protects survivors of human trafficking through prevention, protection, and prosecution. This episode explores the federal framework behind the TVPA, the creation of the T visa, and how survivors may access immigration relief, federal benefits, work authorization, and a potential path to lawful permanent residence.
The discussion covers how the TVPA defines severe forms of trafficking, including sex trafficking, labor trafficking, forced labor, debt bondage, involuntary servitude, and document servitude. It also explains how minors involved in commercial sex acts are treated under federal law, how adults may need to show force, fraud, or coercion, and how agencies such as USCIS, DHS, HHS, OTIP, the FBI, local police departments, and district attorneys’ offices may play a role in survivor protection and documentation.
Listeners will also learn about the T visa process, including Form I-914, optional Form I-914B law enforcement declarations, Form I-765 employment authorization, derivative visas for family members, HHS Certification Letters, Eligibility Letters for minors, and access to benefits such as Medicaid, SNAP, housing assistance, employment services, mental health counseling, Refugee Cash Assistance, and Matching Grant programs. The episode highlights how Rajat Shankar of Shankar & Associates PC helps trafficking survivors on Long Island, in Nassau County, Plainview, and throughout New York understand TVPA-related relief.
The episode also looks at criminal penalties for traffickers under 18 U.S.C. § 1591, § 1589, § 1592, and civil claims under 18 U.S.C. § 1595, including Moore v. Rubin. It explains how New York laws, including Penal Law § 135.35, § 135.37, § 230.34, § 230.34-a, the Safe Harbour Act, and Human Trafficking Intervention Courts, work alongside federal TVPA protections to support survivors seeking safety, services, and immigration stability.
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