Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2025

Human trafficking survivors who were forced into committing crimes — like drug offenses, theft, or prostitution — could get those federal convictions thrown out and their arrest records erased under this bill. It creates a court process where survivors can file a motion proving the crime was a direct result of being trafficked, using evidence like testimony from anti-trafficking service providers. Non-violent offenses (called "level A") can be fully vacated, while arrests for violent offenses can be expunged if charges were dropped, reduced, or ended in acquittal. Survivors currently in prison could also get their sentences reduced if the judge finds the crime was tied to their trafficking. The bill establishes a formal duress defense that trafficking victims can raise at trial, and it bars courts from charging any filing fees for these motions. All proceedings are sealed to protect survivors' identities, and the Government Accountability Office must report to Congress within three years on how many survivors have used the process and whether it's working.