Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2025

Key Points

• This bill lets human trafficking survivors ask a federal judge to vacate convictions and expunge arrest records for non-violent crimes they were forced to commit. It also covers violent crime arrests if the person was acquitted or charges were dropped. This gives survivors a path to clear their names.
• Survivors would not have to pay any fees to file these motions, and the entire process is kept confidential. All court documents are filed under seal, and government employees are barred from making any identifying information public. This protects survivors from retaliation or unwanted exposure.
• People currently in prison who can prove they committed their crime because they were being trafficked could get their sentences reduced. A judge would weigh the facts and standard sentencing factors before deciding on any reduction.
• The bill creates a formal legal defense of duress for trafficking victims charged with federal crimes in the future. If someone can show they were a trafficking victim at the time they committed the offense, that serves as a defense. Failing to raise this defense does not block the person from seeking post-conviction relief later.
• Federal grant programs for legal representation can now be used to help trafficking survivors seek post-conviction relief. Previously, some grants may have prohibited this use of funds. This means more survivors could get free legal help to navigate the expungement process.
• The bill requires US Attorneys to report on motions filed within one year, and the GAO must assess the law's impact within three years, including recommendations for improving access to relief and training on trafficking indicators.