Community leaders, law enforcement agencies and nonprofit organizations gathered for an Airport Human Trafficking Awareness Event to reinforce a shared message: combating human trafficking requires education, collaboration and public awareness.
Hosted at the Lincoln Airport, the event brought together local, state and federal partners working on prevention, victim services and criminal investigations. Speakers encouraged attendees to recognize the signs of trafficking, support survivors and strengthen partnerships that help prevent exploitation before it occurs.
The program featured representatives from the Set Me Free Project, Project Harmony, BraveBe Child Advocacy Center, Lincoln and Omaha police departments, Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign, the Nebraska Legislature, Disrupting Traffick and I’ve Got a Name.
Dylan Yeomans, communications director for the Set Me Free Project, said education is one of the strongest tools in preventing trafficking.
“We focus on human trafficking prevention through the use of education,” Yeomans said. “We all do the same work together. More hands make less work.”
Several panelists emphasized that successful anti-trafficking efforts depend on agencies and organizations working together.
Lincoln Police Chief Michon Morrow said collaboration allows law enforcement to better support survivors while expanding investigations beyond local jurisdictions.
“We can’t operate effectively to help end human trafficking without so many different partners in different spaces collaborating and working alongside us,” Morrow said.
Homeland Security Investigations Assistant Special Agent in Charge Elhrick Cerdan reminded attendees that trafficking is often far closer to home than many people realize.
“Trafficking is local,” Cerdan said. “Most people get trafficked by people they know or family and friends.”
Maraya Lasinski of the Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign encouraged the public to learn the realities of trafficking and report suspicious activity rather than intervening directly.
“We do a lot of training on what human trafficking really is and what to look out for—not what Hollywood and social media says that it is,” Lasinski said.
Service providers also highlighted the growing need for survivor resources. Brooke Carlson, founder and executive director of Disrupting Traffic, said her organization has received 38 requests for emergency housing since opening its safe house in August 2025 and has been able to accommodate about half.
“The need is real,” Carlson said. “We’re doing our best to fill it, but it just keeps growing.”
Throughout the discussion, panelists stressed that every organization has a different role—from prevention and education to investigations, advocacy and housing—but that no one agency can address human trafficking alone.
The event concluded with a call for community members to continue learning about trafficking, have difficult conversations and help create a safer community where exploitation is recognized, reported and prevented.