Pam Bondi cancels appearance at CPAC human trafficking summit

Attorney General Pam Bondi withdrew from her scheduled appearance at CPAC’s “Summit on Human Trafficking” on Wednesday after she said she was suffering a torn cornea.

Bondi was set to join Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Czar Tom Homan in discussing critical issues surrounding human trafficking at the event “CPAC Summit Against Human Trafficking.” In a statement released by her office, Bondi expressed regret over missing the event, which was set to highlight the ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking.

“I’m sorry to miss all of my CPAC friends today, especially Matt and Mercy Schlapp, Senator Blackburn, and the wonderful team at the Tim Tebow Foundation. Unfortunately, I am recovering from a recently torn cornea, which is preventing me from being with you. I truly wish I was able to join you and support all of the work being done on this critical issue,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti as he read Bondi’s note.

CPAC and Kaleido hosted the third annual International Summit Against Human Trafficking, bringing together Noem, Homan, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and other key figures to discuss combating human trafficking. The summit focused on the collaborative efforts of the Trump administration, legislative bodies, the judicial system, and private sector partners to address this issue.

During the event, speakers highlighted the contrast between the Biden administration’s failures and the Trump administration’s actions. The Biden administration’s handling of the crisis was criticized for losing over 300,000 children and removing more than 70% of border agents from frontline duties. In contrast, the Trump administration is actively addressing these missteps.

“We have several agencies that have become specifically skilled and trained to fight human trafficking. And, in fact, I’ve met with so many different groups that work in the space that you are and that you’re passionate about, and your advocacy matters… for that talk to me about what our HSI officers do every day,” Noem said.

Homan, meanwhile, laid the blame for the surge in trafficking at the feet of the Biden administration, pointing out the consequences of removing agents from the border.

“When you remove 70% of agents off the line, that’s when bad things happen, that’s when trafficking exploded to historic highs, that’s when sex trafficking exploded to historic highs, that’s when fentanyl came across and killed a quarter of a million Americans, that’s when we went from 14 on the terror watch list during Trump 45 to over 400 under Joe Biden,” Homan said.

In Oct. 2024, a Senate committee report said that the Biden-Harris administration had obstructed both congressional and state investigations into the exploitation and trafficking of unaccompanied alien children. It accused the Biden-Harris administration of widespread “failures” that led to the abuse and exploitation of migrant children. The report also said that Biden’s White House was “stonewalling” Congressional oversight and hindered state investigations into its handling of these children.

The report highlighted the findings on the ongoing border crisis, particularly the consequences for the hundreds of thousands of migrant children living in the U.S. In August 2024, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General reported that federal officials lost track of tens of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children who entered the country since fiscal year 2019.