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FBI
Operation Cross
Country XI
Recovering Underage Victims of Sex Trafficking and Prostitution
Operation Cross Country, the FBI’s annual law enforcement action
focused on recovering underage victims of prostitution and drawing the
public’s attention to the problem of sex trafficking at home and
abroad, has concluded with the recovery of 84 sexually exploited
juveniles and the arrests of 120 traffickers.
Now in its 11th iteration, Operation Cross Country has expanded beyond
the United States, with Canada, the United Kingdom, Cambodia, the
Philippines, and Thailand undertaking similar operations. Their efforts
were coordinated with the FBI and its local, state, and federal law
enforcement partners—along with the National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children (NCMEC)—during the four-day law enforcement action
that ended October 15.
‘There are Many More Victims That We Need to Reach’
As part of Operation Cross Country XI, FBI Denver Special Agent in
Charge Calvin Shivers and Victim Specialist Anne Darr describe the
primary role of the FBI's national multi-agency initiative—to recover
children who are being trafficked.
“We at the FBI have no greater mission than to protect our nation’s
children from harm,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.
“Unfortunately, the number of traffickers arrested—and the number of
children recovered—reinforces why we need to continue to do this
important work.”
This year’s Operation Cross Country involved 55 FBI field offices and
78 FBI-led Child Exploitation Task Forces composed of more than 500 law
enforcement agencies. Hundreds of law enforcement personnel took part
in sting operations in hotels, casinos, truck stops, and through social
media sites frequented by pimps, prostitutes, and their customers.
All of the recovered minors were offered services by specialists who
are either part of the FBI’s Victim Services Division or members of
other local and state law enforcement agencies. More than 100 victim
specialists provided on-scene services that included crisis
intervention as well as resources for basic needs such as food,
clothing, shelter, and medical attention.
During operations by FBI Denver’s Rocky Mountain Innocence Lost Task
Force, for example, a 3-month-old girl and her five-year-old sister
were recovered after a friend who was staying with the family made a
deal with an undercover task force officer to sell both children for
sex in exchange for $600.
“The threat of child sex trafficking is something the FBI works on
every single day,” said Calvin Shivers, special agent in charge of the
Denver Division. “Operation Cross Country gives us the opportunity to
shine a light on this threat and to educate the public.” He added that
while the focused law enforcement action has “an immediate impact” of
recovering a significant number of juvenile victims, “we recognize that
there is a lot more work to be done to identify and recover even more
victims.”
“We at the FBI have no greater mission than to protect our nation’s
children from harm.”
Ali’s Story
Ali grew up in a middle-class suburb outside Philadelphia with parents
who loved her and a wide circle of friends. She played sports and was a
good student. In high school and in college—where she received an
undergraduate and master’s degree in criminal justice—she drank alcohol
and experimented with marijuana and other drugs, like many of her
friends. Then she tried heroin.
William Johnson is a deputy sheriff with the Philadelphia Sheriff’s
Office and a member of the FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children Task
Force in Philadelphia. One of the task force’s priorities is to combat
human trafficking.
Although Johnson says he was just doing his job, Ali credits him with
saving her from a life of addiction, prostitution, and being on the
streets—a life, she believes, that would not have lasted much longer.
Operation Cross Country is part of the FBI’s Innocence Lost National
Initiative, which began in 2003. Since its creation, the program has
resulted in the identification and recovery of more than 6,500 children
from child sex trafficking and the prosecution of countless
traffickers, more than 30 of whom have received life sentences for
their crimes.
“Child sex trafficking is happening in every community across America,”
said John Clark, the CEO of NCMEC. “We are working to combat this
problem every day,” he explained, adding that NCMEC is “proud to work
with the FBI on Operation Cross Country to help find and recover child
victims.”
“This operation isn't just about taking traffickers off the street,”
FBI Director Wray said. “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.”
See FBI videos here
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