San Antonio Standard

In August, the Federal Bureau of Investigations conducted Operation Cross Country, a human-trafficking rescue operation that saved more than 80 children and 140 adults nationwide. Officials in San Antonio assisted in the operation, saving victims in the metropolitan area.

"Sex trafficking represents some of the worst in human behavior, especially when it deals with the most vulnerable of our society, our children,” FBI San Antonio Division Special Agent in Charge Oliver E. Rich Jr. said in a news release. “The FBI works tirelessly every day with our law enforcement partners to protect children from illegal sex trafficking operations and to help victims receive the support and services available to them. We would like to thank the Texas Department of Public Safety, San Antonio Police Department, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and the Austin Police Department for their assistance in this operation.”

According to the FBI, the average age of trafficking victims discovered during the operation was 15.5 years old. The youngest identified victim was 11. 

In an official statement, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said, “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. 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.”

Michelle DeLaune, president and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, recently said, “The success of Operation Cross County reinforces what NCMEC sees every day. 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. 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.”                

According to a report from the University of Texas at Austin, there are 78,996 minor and youth victims of human trafficking, and 234,457 victims of labor trafficking in Texas, totaling 313,453 victims of human trafficking.