Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2025

What it does

• •Allows individuals convicted of non-violent federal offenses (level A offenses) to move the sentencing court to vacate their conviction if committed as a direct result of human trafficking victimization.
• •Permits individuals arrested for non-violent offenses or certain other offenses to request expungement of arrest records if the conduct was directly related to trafficking victimization and charges were dismissed, reduced, or resulted in acquittal.
• •Authorizes courts to reduce prison sentences for incarcerated individuals convicted of level A or level B (violent) offenses if the court finds by a preponderance of evidence the offense resulted from trafficking victimization.
• •Requires courts to vacate convictions and expunge all official records including arrest, criminal proceedings, and results upon granting relief.

Why it matters

• •The text acknowledges that trafficking victims may commit crimes under coercion or duress and provides legal relief mechanisms to prevent trafficking victimization from creating lasting criminal records that impede reintegration.
• •Courts may consider affidavits or testimony from anti-human trafficking service providers as sufficient evidence to grant relief, establishing alternative pathways to prove victimization without requiring conviction of traffickers.
• •The statute applies retroactively to individuals currently imprisoned, allowing sentence reductions for those whose offenses resulted from trafficking victimization.

Who is affected

• •Individuals convicted of federal non-violent offenses or arrested for federal offenses who can demonstrate they were victims of human trafficking as defined in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000.
• •Incarcerated individuals (covered prisoners) convicted of level A or level B offenses and imprisoned for those offenses.
• •Federal courts with jurisdiction over the original conviction or arrest location.

What happens next

The bill was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary on February 14, 2025, and awaits committee consideration and potential floor action.