The color blue has become a symbol of hope and resistance in the fight against modern slavery. At the forefront of that symbolism is the Blue Campaign, a national public awareness effort created by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to combat human trafficking. Operating under the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, the Blue Campaign is the unified voice coordinating across DHS components — including ICE, CBP, USCIS, and FLETC — to educate, empower, and mobilize the nation.
Blue Campaign's objectives are twofold: awareness and action. It provides educational materials and training to communities, law enforcement, and industry professionals — particularly airline staff and transportation workers — to recognize trafficking indicators and respond effectively.
Two signature efforts stand out. #WearBlueDay, held every January 11 for National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, invites individuals and organizations across the country to wear blue and raise public awareness. The Blue Lightning Initiative trains airline personnel — flight attendants, gate agents, customer service staff — to identify and report trafficking; since the 2016 FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act, hundreds of thousands of aviation professionals have been trained.
An estimated 27.6 million people are victims of trafficking worldwide, and the crime often thrives in plain sight — victims may appear controlled, fearful, or withdrawn. Awareness puts more trained eyes in the very places victims pass through: airports, stations, and transit hubs. That is exactly where our own mission lives, too — which is why the Blue Campaign's work lights the way for ours.
Learn more at dhs.gov/blue-campaign.
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