FBI agents and local authorities rescued 141 adult victims of human trafficking, 84 minor victims of child sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, and have identified 37 actively missing children during a two-week nationwide operation in August dubbed “Operation Cross Country.”
The average age of victims in similar operations is approximately 15 years old, while authorities said the youngest victim discovered during this operation was 11 years old.
“Human trafficking is among the most heinous crimes the FBI encounters,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. “Unfortunately, such crimes—against both adults and children—are far more common than most people realize.”
Federal officials arrested 85 suspects of child sexual exploitation and human trafficking offenses as part of Operation Cross Country, which conducted 391 operations over two weeks. Teams included in the operation consist of FBI special agents, intelligence analysts, victim specialists, and child adolescent forensic interviewers working with 200 local, state, and federal partners.
Victim specialists provide a bridge for survivors who have lost trust in the system by helping them establish a positive relationship with law enforcement.
Specialists also help survivors receive available resources based on individual needs, such as crisis intervention and basic living needs.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which also partnered with the operation, said the success of rescuing the minors who were trafficked reinforces what the organization sees daily.
“Children are being bought and sold for sex in communities across the country by traffickers, gangs, and even family members,” Michelle DeLaune, President and CEO of the center, said in a statement. “We’re proud to support the FBI’s efforts to prioritize the safety of children. This national operation highlights the need for all child-serving professionals to continue to focus on the wellbeing of children and youth to prevent them from being targeted in the first place.”
The center’s website reports it assisted law enforcement, families, and child welfare with 27,733 missing children cases.
According to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center, there were 337,195 entries for missing children in 2021. The number of missing child entries was 365,348 in 2020.
“The initiative really just takes a concentrated period of time when we’re just focused on the problem of child sex trafficking,” Section Chief Jose Perez, who oversees violent crime investigations in the FBI, said according to Fox News. “What we do is we sit down with our local partners and our task forces and identify certain areas where we know sex trafficking is prevalent, and we’ll dedicate resources and efforts to identify and remove victims from those areas.”
Now that’s ALOT of bitchez and ho’s
FBI can chalk it up as win in this article, but really let’s go after the “CARTEL” that are being paid to bring illegal aliens into America.
America needs to get an “EMGERENCY INJUNCTION” to close the border & start prosecuting “EVERYONE & ANYONE” to the fullest extent of the law including judges & this admin that believe they are doing the “RIGHT” thing for these “ILLEGALS”!!!
The government contracted company, MVM Inc., previously signed a federal contract for $136 million back in 2021 by the Biden administration, “for the transport of migrant families and unaccompanied minors in government custody.” MVM Inc. has also previously served as a contractor for the CIA and NSA in Iraq.
We need new legislation that provides the death penalty or, at least, life imprisonment for child traffickers’, as well as pedophiles. When are we going to stamp it out, instead of shaking our heads side to side?
Sorry, I was fixated with kids. I neglected to include adults also so terribly abused in captivity.
There has got to be a way to FINE these human traffickers financially. What good does it do to imprison them for a few months and then release them and spend MORE time on these undercover operations to recapture them once again! BUT if we took 50% of their financial assets (inc. car, homes, boats, toys, vacation villas, and CASH) and put every red cent into a separate fund that solely funds ONLY more undercover tasks – (1) it cripples the trafficker as they don’t have 1/2 of the funds they had originally to organize these massive efforts; (2) If the LEO’s had more budget dollars to do more of these and then subliminally they are incentivized to bust more (bust more, get more funds to purchase more technological equipment to catch more, etc) it would be a win/win. Just don’t EVER let the fine/financial forfeitures ever get near Wash D.C. and put into the General Funds. Every red cent must go into a distinct & separate bank account, with its own budget, accountant and Director and KEEP the corrupt FBI out of it. I don’t trust the FBI at all and without hesitation feel that when they make these busts, whatever money is laying about via the human trafficker, pimp/scheduler, escort protection, etc – skims a large amt of $$ from the scene to enrich themselves. The criminal, like those caught with drugs, are NOT going to argue “No, I had 10K in cash laying about” – nope, they’ll keep their mouths shut as divulging their financial success will only harm them further IF the real truth was known. ~ The FBI is no longer a trustworthy agency. IF a Search Warrant states “Classified Documents located in boxes in a locked storage room” but FBI agents feel compelled to take 3 Passports that were in his office desk drawer – Once again that clearly demonstrates (again) that they cannot follow the Laws, the proper procedures and feel that they are Above the Law. At Every BUST, a Senior – Crime Scene Investigator should be present the entire time and they are the fiduciary to secure (after photographing and documenting every bill – So the Serial #s are recorded) -then I would gradually begin to trust that agency again! They need oversight AT all times nowadays. That Fidicuary cannot be from the FBI, CIA, ATF or from any other Govt Agency. ALL agents from ALL Alphabet Agencies MUST wear BWC while working. Failure to turn your BWC on causes the agent to be put on leave W/O pay for 1 month. This is the only way they can start rebuilding trust as that is going to take decades, if ever.