As part of enforcement action, the federal law conducted an investigation and seized the sex marketplace website Backpage. The statement was given out on April 6, 2018. This was a bad day for the sex workers, and they demanded justice as they were all of different ethnic groups, races and were either Trans or disabled. None of them would have been granted a chance to work in a better place and earn through a respective profession and make a good living. 

The statement from law enforcement:

The statement was given out by the Federal Bureau of investigation clearly said that all U.S. agencies for security purposes, including postal inspection service, internal revenue service criminal investigation, and the joint regional center, were all supporting this new law. This was their enforcement plan for a better future and their residents, whereas their residents used and paid on these sites. 

The effect on the citizens:

The people who were working on an awareness campaign to end forced prostitution, and child abuse celebrated this new law as their hard work had somewhat paid off, and they could peacefully live their lives with success. Backpage was a massive marketplace for sex advertising, and when it shut down, a backlash was caused by the buyers and sellers of sex. On expression and the press, it could lead to bigger problems because of these federal limitations, and this action was warned by many. 

Trump’s involvement:

President Donald Trump had to sign the final bill to pass out this law into action, and his involvement was there as all of the U.S. legislative attorneys and safety providing agencies demanded this law to be enforced. The justice department, attorneys of California and Arizona, and the phoenix FBI department all were into this enforcement plan.

For them, it was a huge step putting down a website as big as the Backpage, and it was not easy to work; it took months for them to strategize about this enforcement plan. The legislation was said to be also featured in a Netflix film known as “I am jane doe.” 

The effects:

Shutting down of the sex trafficking market places helps in the reduction of profits earned by forcing people into trading sex. This is a huge advantage if we look into this. Further, we also come to realize that people other than the willing ones are saved from the humiliation and constant abuse. Though back page owners still tried to cover their tracks and gave this statement that all of the advertisements were of free speech and were U.S. constitution protected. This website earned millions of dollars through forced prostitution of young women and teenagers. Most of the ads were telling you to get adults, and those ads were earning more still the missing children reports said otherwise, and that was because of this site alone. 

The action:

The Californian and Texas authorities raided the company of Backpage headquarters in Dallas. Their chief executor Carl Ferrer got arrested on pimping related charges, and other former partners were also arrested along with the heads. The judge, in that case, said that the website was protected at first, and the third parties didn’t know what was going on.