Posted originally on The Conservative Tree House on October 26, 2020 by sundance
Wow, you want to say great job U.S. Marshals Service… but then you think about what exactly they are being thanked for, and “great job” seems prayerfully inappropriate.
Ohio State Attorney General, Dave Yost, has announced the results of a 50 agency anti human trafficking operation called “Operation Autumn Hope”, and while the results are excellent the underlying evil is almost unimaginable.
45 missing children were physically recovered in the Ohio operation along with 109 human trafficking survivors. [Media]
(Columbus Ohio) – […] “The success of Operation Autumn Hope is measured not only in the number of arrests but in the lives that were rescued from this evil,” Yost said. “Every agency on this team looks for the day when no person is bought and sold in Ohio. Don’t buy sex in Ohio!”
During the operation, the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Trask Force, Columbus PACT Unit and the Cuyahoga County Human Trafficking Task Force rescued 109 human trafficking victims and referred them to social services.
“These vulnerable members of our population usually slip through the cracks,” said Sgt. Dana Hess, director of the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force. “This operation highlighted the vast number of potential victims and allowed law enforcement the opportunity to make contact and link them to services.”
Sondra Miller, president and CEO of the Cleveland Rape Center, whose agency was part of the social services network prepared to aid the rescued victims, said: “Survivors of rape and sex trafficking deserve to be believed and have access to justice. By holding offenders accountable and reducing demand for human trafficking, this operation prevented many others from being harmed.”
Across southern Ohio, 76 missing and exploited children cases were cleared, including 45 by physical recovery by the U.S. Marshal’s Service.
Among those missing included a 15-year-old girl missing from Cleveland whose recovery linked her and other possible victims to an individual in Columbus suspected of human trafficking; a 15-year-old male with two warrants who is a suspect in multiple shootings and a homicide; and a 14-year-old girl who was reported missing by the Lancaster Police Department who was recovered in Columbus within six hours of being reported missing. (read more)
The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 enhanced the U.S. Marshals’ authority to assist federal, state, and local law enforcement with the recovery of missing, endangered, trafficked or abducted children, regardless of whether a fugitive or sex offender was involved. The U.S. Marshals Service established a Missing Child Unit to oversee and manage the implementation of its enhanced authority under the act.
President Trump, former AG Jeff Sessions and current AG Bill Barr have unleashed the USMS to support their new authorities; they have been delivering strong results.
It must be remembered these operations have been taking place all over the country with the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) coordinating the cross-state agency efforts: Operation “Not Forgotten” rescued 39 children; Operation “Safety Net” recovered another 35; and now Operation “Autumn Hope” rescues another 45 missing children.
“This operation, with the cooperation of the law enforcement agencies, social services, and non-governmental organizations, has brought to the forefront the realities of human trafficking and the exploitation of trafficking victims. Together, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and its partners will continue with its victim-centered approach and ensure that traffickers, here in Ohio and beyond, face justice for their criminal acts.”
~ Vance Callender, Special Agent in Charge for HSI in Michigan and Ohio
Meanwhile, last week the U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched the first ever national Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT), and DHS Secretary Chad Wolf held a 30 minute press availability (remarks here) to announce the new federal agency.
The DHS press release is HERE and the White House press release is HERE. However, in a stark example of how liberal media refuse to discuss this topic, after the announcement not a single media reporter asked a question about why this national center was so urgently needed. The media just got up and walked out.
Great work in Ohio by the U.S. Marshals Service. There is some slight solace in knowing we have at least one federal law enforcement institution effectively working on behalf of our nation. The politically disinterested politicians, and their media bootlickers, should be ashamed of their lack of forceful engagement on this issue.
Secure our border !
Save our kids !
Save our nation!
Centinel2012 