25 March 2009

Obama Names Ambassador to Combat Trafficking in Persons

President Obama nominates Counsel to U.S. House Committee Luis de Baca

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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
March 24, 2009

President Obama Announces Another Key State Department Post

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Luis C. de Baca as Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the State Department.

President Obama said, “I’m grateful that this fine public servant has agreed to join my administration, and I am confident that with Secretary Clinton he will be an indispensable part of our team as we work tirelessly to stand up for human rights and the rule of law.  I am confident that his unique experiences and proven ability will make him a strong advocate for our values and for justice around the globe.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual today:

Luis C. de Baca, Nominee for Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, State Department

Luis C. de Baca is Counsel to the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, on detail from the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.  On the Committee, his portfolio for Chairman John Conyers, Jr. includes national security, intelligence, immigration, civil rights, and modern slavery issues. At the Justice Department, de Baca served as Chief Counsel of the Civil Rights Division's Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. During the Clinton Administration, he was the Department's Involuntary Servitude and Slavery Coordinator and was instrumental in developing the United States' victim-centered approach to combating modern slavery.  He has investigated and prosecuted human trafficking cases in which victims were held for prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation, farm labor, domestic service, and factory work. De Baca received the leading honor given by the national trafficking victim service provider community, the Freedom Network’s Paul & Sheila Wellstone Award, and has been named the Michigan Law School’s Distinguished Latino Alumnus. De Baca graduated from Iowa State University and holds a J.D. from Michigan Law School, where he was President of the Hispanic Law Students Association and an editor of the Michigan Law Review.

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