Federal and local law enforcement agencies recently rescued more than 30 missing children and uncovered multiple trafficking operations across Texas during a joint mission. Operation Lightning Bug was led by the U.S. Marshals Service and the San Antonio Police Department, and resulted in three arrests for harboring runaways, nine felony warrants, and the recovery of six sex trafficking survivors. More than 120 additional juveniles voluntarily returned home after the people they were living with were arrested.
Kirsta Leeberg-Melton, founder of the Institute to Combat Trafficking, explains that traffickers often target children facing instability for sex or labor. She says the public frequently underestimates how widespread trafficking is, noting that it occurs nationwide and often involves American citizens. “The biggest myth is that it happens somewhere else, and it happens to someone else. Until we start recognizing that people have value, no matter who they are, where they come from, what they’ve done or what’s been done to them, we will continue to excuse some level of exploitation.”
U.S. Marshal Susan Pamerleau says the agency’s work to protect children is part of its mission under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, which allows the Marshals to recover missing or endangered youth. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus praised the collaboration, noting that every arrest and recovery proves the power of law enforcement agencies working together.