A federal law designed to combat human trafficking could be used to target churches and other religious communities whose members voluntarily donate their time and labor, attorney John Lauro warned, pointing to a lawsuit is accusing the Salvation Army of forced labor.
In an interview on The Epoch Times’ “American Thought Leaders” program, Lauro argued that a 2008 amendment to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act broadened the definition of “serious harm” to include psychological and nonphysical harm. According to Lauro, the change could allow people to sue religious organizations years after voluntarily taking part in their activities.
“This statute … is like a dagger pointed at the soul of every voluntary religious community in the United States,” the attorney argued. “That provision has been weaponized by plaintiffs’ lawyers and also under the Biden administration by law enforcement and politically activist prosecutors to go after religious and spiritual minorities,” he added.
“It violates the First Amendment and it violates our Constitution and every principle that is important in the United States.” Lauro cited a lawsuit brought by former participants in the Salvation Army’s residential rehabilitation program, who alleged that the organization forced them to work in exchange for food, clothing and housing.
“So the Salvation Army is Christian-based, and it practices something called tough love, which means you have to work for your room and board,” the attorney said. “So it had, I believe it was in Chicago, a program where people who are on probation or in divorce programs would have to work at the Salvation Army. “They weren’t paid.
They were given room and board, but it was sort of a tough-love program to get through if you’ve done something wrong,” he continued. “That makes sense to you and me.”