Executive Order 13257: President’s Interagency Task Force To Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
President: George W. Bush
Established the cabinet-level interagency task force required by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, chaired by the Secretary of State, to coordinate federal anti-trafficking work, evaluate progress, support annual country reports, organize data and recommend policy.
Status: In effect as amended.
Is Executive Order 13257 still in effect? Yes. Active as amended; statutory task force continues.
What does Executive Order 13257 do?
The order assigned these duties: Secretary of State — Chair and convene the cabinet-level task force; Member agencies — Coordinate implementation, data, prevention, victim protection and enforcement.
Checked the State-chaired task force against the order, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and EO 13333’s later amendment. The guide describes interagency coordination, not independent regulatory authority.
Before and after
Before the order
The 2000 Trafficking Victims Protection Act required the President to establish the task force and specified its core membership and duties.
After the order
State supplied the staff and chaired the task force. EO 13286 added Homeland Security in 2003, and EO 13333 added Defense in 2004 and implemented the 2003 reauthorization. Congress repeatedly expanded the statutory membership and duties; the task force and its senior operating group continued coordinating government-wide work and meeting through later administrations.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Secretary of State | Chair and convene the cabinet-level task force | As necessary |
| Member agencies | Coordinate implementation, data, prevention, victim protection and enforcement | Ongoing |
| Task force | Assist with annual trafficking reports and recommend policy to the President | On the statutory and presidential reporting cycles |
What happened next
EO 13257 signed.
EO 13257 established the task force.
EO 13286 added the Homeland Security Secretary.
EO 13333 added the Defense Secretary and implemented the 2003 reauthorization.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The task force coordinates authorities held by its member departments; EO 13257 expressly gives it no substantial independent directive authority and creates no enforceable private right. The current duties also rest directly on 22 U.S.C. § 7103. No order-specific merits judgment was located.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on October 2, 2026. How we research →