More than 200 victims of sex trafficking, including 84 minors, were rescued in a countrywide operation named “Operation Cross Country,” the FBI reported Monday. The age of the youngest victim was 11.
The FBI said that authorities identified 84 victims of child sex trafficking and 37 children who were missing throughout the operation. Additionally, law enforcement agents identified 141 adult victims of human trafficking.
According to the Human Trafficking Institute, more than half of all U.S. trafficking victims in 2021 will be juveniles. In a news statement issued on Monday, FBI Director Christopher Wray referred to sex trafficking as “one of the most terrible crimes” the organization investigates.
Wray said, “Unfortunately, such crimes — against both adults and children — are considerably more prevalent than most people know.” As with this operation, the FBI and its partners will continue to locate and apprehend traffickers, identify and assist victims, and raise awareness of the exploitation of our most vulnerable people.
Officials claim that “Operation Cross Country” is only one organized effort, since the agency and its partners investigate and combat human trafficking daily.
Section Chief Jose Perez, who handles violent crime investigations at the FBI, stated in a separate news release, “The effort really simply takes a concentrated period of time when we’re just focusing on the issue of child sex trafficking.”
Over the course of two weeks in August, more than 200 state, local, and federal partners and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) performed 391 operations.
“The effectiveness of Operation Cross County validates what NCMEC sees on a daily basis. In communities throughout the nation, traffickers, gangs, and even relatives purchase and sell children for sexual exploitation “Michelle DeLaune, president and chief executive officer of NCMEC, said.
Officials report that investigators discovered or detained 85 suspects of child sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said, “The Justice Department is dedicated to doing all in our ability to fight the heinous crimes of human trafficking that harm survivors and their families.”