The U.S Justice Department
released the below information:
On Oct. 18, the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, along with the National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children (NCMEC), announced that 84 minors were recovered and 120
traffickers were arrested as part of Operation Cross Country XI, a nationwide
effort focusing on underage human trafficking that ran from Oct. 12 to 15.
The Attorney General made the
following statement on this crackdown:
“Every American has the right
to be safe from violence and exploitation, and it is the mission of this
Department to help secure that right.
Today we take the next step toward that mission with the arrest of more
than 120 alleged sex traffickers and the recovery of more than 80 trafficking
survivors.
“I want to thank and commend
the dedicated men and women of the FBI, the National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children and our local, state and international law enforcement
partners who made these arrests and rescues possible. They have delivered results that make this
country safer and show clearly that collaboration makes us more effective in
combating child exploitation.
“The Justice Department will
continue to pursue our mission and, to that end, we will remain tireless in our
efforts to rescue victims and put those who victimize children behind bars.”
From the FBI Release:
This is the 11th iteration of
the FBI-led Operation Cross Country (OCC), which took place this year in 55 FBI
field offices and involved 78 state and local task forces, consisting of
hundreds of law enforcement partners. This year’s coordinated operations took
place with several international partners, including Canada (Operation Northern
Spotlight), the United Kingdom (Aident 8), Thailand, Cambodia, and the
Philippines.
“We at the FBI have no
greater mission than to protect our nation’s children from harm. Unfortunately, the number of traffickers
arrested—and the number of children recovered—reinforces why we need to continue
to do this important work,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “This operation
isn't just about taking traffickers off the street. It's about making sure we
offer help and a way out to these young victims who find themselves caught in a
vicious cycle of abuse."
As part of Operation Cross
Country XI, FBI agents and task force officers staged operations in hotels,
casinos, and truck stops, as well as on street corners and Internet websites.
The youngest victim recovered during this year’s operation was 3 months old,
and the average age of victims recovered during the operation was 15 years old.
Minors recovered during Cross Country Operations are offered assistance from
state protective services and the FBI’s Victim Services Division. Depending on
the level of need, victims are offered medical and mental health counseling, as
well as a number of other services.
“Child sex trafficking is
happening in every community across America, and at the National Center for
Missing & Exploited Children, we’re working to combat this problem every
day,” said NCMEC President and CEO John Clark. “We’re proud to work with the
FBI on Operation Cross Country to help find and recover child victims. We hope
OCC generates more awareness about this crisis impacting our nation’s children.”
Operation Cross Country XI is
part of the FBI’s Innocence Lost National Initiative, which began in 2003 and
has yielded more than 6,500 child identifications and locations. For additional
information on Operation Cross Country XI and the Innocence Lost initiative,
please visit www.fbi.gov.
Examples of stories from
various cities that took part in Operation Cross Country XI:
On October 13th, FBI Denver
recovered two minor girls—one 3-month-old and one 5-year-old. The subject, a
friend of the children's family, offered an undercover officer access to the
two children for sexual purposes in exchange for $600. The FBI is working with
Child Protective Services to conduct a forensic interview and secure safe
placement of the children. The subject was placed under arrest.
Also on October 13th, a
16-year old female victim was recovered by FBI El Paso, after an undercover
agent called an online advertisement for entertainment. Shortly thereafter, the
agent met with a 21-year-old female, who offered a fee of $200 to engage in
sexual intercourse with her and another female, the 16-year-old victim. Further
investigations revealed that a second adult female drove the minor and the
21-year-old to the undercover’s location. Both female subjects have been arrested
on federal charges.
Note: You can watch an FBI video clip via the below link:
