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Dozens of child victims of sex trafficking and child sexual exploitation, including three in Houston, were found nationwide during the first half of August, according to FBI announcements.
The FBI, along with state and local partners, "identified and located" 84 child sex trafficking and child sexual exploitation victim during the nationwide campaign "Operation Cross Country XII," the bureau's Houston bureau said in an Aug. 15 Twitter post.
"Locally, FBI Houston agents identified and/or located three victims," the Twitter post said.
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children President and CEO Michelle DeLaune
| ojjdp.ojp.gov/
The FBI's Houston field office covers 40 counties in southeast Texas.
The Twitter post linked to an FBI news release about the operation posted the same day. The nationwide enforcement operation also located 37 "actively missing children" and 141 adult human trafficking victims, and arrested 85 suspects of child sexual exploitation and human trafficking offenses.
"Those suspects identified will be subject to additional investigation for potential charges," the news release said. "The average age of victims located during this year's Operation Cross Country was 15.5, while the youngest victim discovered was 11 years old."
All forms of human trafficking are a priority for the U.S. Department of Justice, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in the news release.
"The Justice Department is committed to doing everything in our power to combat the insidious crimes of human trafficking that devastate survivors and their families," Garland said. "I am grateful to the dedicated professionals of the FBI and our law enforcement partners across the country for their tireless work to rescue trafficking survivors, including exploited children, to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of trafficking crimes, and to provide the services and support that survivors need and deserve."
FBI special agents, victim specialists, intelligence analysts and child adolescent forensic interviewers participated in the operation, along with more than 200 state, local and federal partners and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Agency participants conducted 391 operations during the two-week period.
"The success of Operation Cross County reinforces what NCMEC sees every day," NCMEC President and CEO Michelle DeLaune said in the news release. "Children are being bought and sold for sex in communities across the country by traffickers, gangs and even family members.
"We're proud to support the FBI’s efforts to prioritize the safety of children," she added. "This national operation highlights the need for all child serving professionals to continue to focus on the well-being of children and youth to prevent them from being targeted in the first place."