In some absolutely fabulous news out of the Trump Administration that came back in late June, the US Marshals Service announced that it had conducted a sweeping operation in which it rescued five dozen children who were missing in one small area of Florida alone, saving them from the horrific fate of being trafficked children.
As background, the Trump Administration has made rescuing children one of its main priorities, with Border Czar Tom Homan routinely commenting on the massive number of children who have been rescued by ICE and other border authorities after a stomach-churning number of children went missing during the Biden-era border crisis.
Announcing the operation in a powerful press release, the Marshals Service described the huge operation, saying, “The U.S. Marshals Service Middle District of Florida, in conjunction with a vast array of partners, led missing child operation in June that resulted in the recovery or safe location of 60 critically missing children from across Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties.”
Continuing, the service described the operation and noted that a massive number of authorities, agencies, and personnel were involved in the weeks-long operation that attempted to rescue those children who were “critically missing.” It said, “Operation DRAGON EYE, the product of a multidisciplinary task force of federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as social service entities, the medical community, and non-governmental organizations planning and executing a two-week initiative geared to recover or safely locate the most critically missing youth, has been deemed the most successful missing child operation in USMS history.”
Defining what the term “critically missing” means in this context, it explained that the kids would likely face horrific fates if not rescued, saying, “The USMS defines ‘critically missing’ children as those at risk of crimes of violence or those with other elevated risk factors such as substance abuse, sexual exploitation, crime exposure, or domestic violence.”
Then, returning to the matter of the operation, the Marshals Service described the arrests that resulted from it, saying, “This operation had three primary objectives: recover critically missing youth, provide them with essential services including appropriate placement, and to deter bad actors exploiting missing child vulnerabilities. DRAGON EYE resulted in eight arrests, including charges of human trafficking, child endangerment, narcotics possession, and custodial interference.”
Commenting on the sweeping success of the operation, William Berger, U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Florida, said, “I have to curtail my enthusiasm because of the sensitivity of the victims involved in this operation, but the successful recovery of 60 missing children, complemented with the arrest of eight individuals, including child predators, signifies the most successful missing child recovery effort in the history of the United States Marshals Service; or to my knowledge, any other similar operation held in the United States.”
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Adding to that, Berger explained, “The unique part of this operation was the fact that underaged critically missing children ranging from age 9 to 17 were not only recovered but were debriefed and provided with physical and psychological care. This operation further included follow-up assistance in hopes that these youth will not return to the streets to be further victimized.”
Also commenting on the operation was Callahan Walsh, Executive Director, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, who said, “The success of Operation DRAGON EYE is a testament to what’s possible when agencies unite with a shared mission to protect children.”
Walsh added, “We’re proud to have supported the U.S. Marshals Service and our partners in Florida to recover these missing children and provide critical support to those who need it most. NCMEC is honored to stand alongside these teams and will continue working tirelessly to help make sure that every child has a safe childhood.”
Watch Tom Homan comment on rescuing children here: