In a coordinated crackdown throughout Texas, federal and local authorities rescued over 30 missing children and uncovered several trafficking rings preying on at-risk youth.
The operation, primarily based in San Antonio, resulted in arrests, felony warrants and several new investigations as part of a joint mission known as “Operation Lightning Bug.”
Teams from the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) from San Antonio, Del Rio, Midland, and Pecos collaborated with San Antonio Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit, Special Victims Unit, Street Crimes Unit and undercover operatives. Together, they analyzed Texas and national crime databases to locate vulnerable juveniles and coordinate recovery efforts.
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The results included:
Each recovered child was interviewed by SAPD’s Special Victims Unit to assess whether they had been victimized. Survivors were directed to support services offered by agencies like Health and Human Services to guarantee long-term care and protection.
U.S. Marshal Susan Pamerleau, for the Western District of Texas, stated that protecting children remains central to the Marshals Service’s mission.
“The safety of our children equates to the safety of our communities, and justice necessitates that we protect those who are unable to protect themselves,” Pamerleau said. “Through Operation Lightning Bug, we are reaffirming our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable and bolstering the safety of our communities.”
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus echoed these sentiments, applauding the operation as an example of law enforcement collaboration.
“Every suspect apprehended, juvenile returned home and survivor removed from harm’s way is significant,” McManus said. “This operation illustrates what can be accomplished when law enforcement agencies unite to protect children.”
The U.S. Marshals carried out the sweep under the authority of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, which empowers the agency to recover missing or endangered children, even in the absence of a fugitive. That law also led to the establishment of the USMS Missing Child Unit, which spearheads similar recovery initiatives nationwide.
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Kirsta Leeberg-Melton, founder and CEO of the Institute to Combat Trafficking, said operations such as this highlight the broader problem of exploitation in Texas and beyond.
“Trafficking is a problem that the city of San Antonio, the state of Texas, and the nation have been confronting for quite some time,” she said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
She noted that traffickers often target vulnerability — children lacking stable housing, food, or family support.
“They are easy targets for traffickers to exploit,” she warned. “They exploit these needs by providing those resources and then demanding repayment, putting those kids in a position where they are able to exploit them for sex or for labor.”
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Leeberg-Melton noted that the public often underestimates the prevalence of trafficking and its evolution, particularly online.
“Trafficking is the exploitation of men, women, and children for forced sex or forced labor by a third party for their profit or gain. That’s been around forever,” Leeberg-Melton said. “What has evolved is people’s understanding of that crime and their awareness that it’s happening everywhere!”
She added that traffickers are increasingly using technology to recruit and control victims.
“As technology advances, traffickers…are quick to adopt and adapt technology,” she said. “The internet enables them to connect with victims and buyers far beyond their local area.”
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Leeberg-Melton stressed that trafficking is not confined to border areas.
“American citizens can traffic American citizens on American soil,” she said, noting that most trafficking cases prosecuted in the U.S. involve American perpetrators exploiting American victims.
“The biggest misconception is that it occurs elsewhere and affects others,” she said. “Until we recognize the inherent value of all people, regardless of their background, origin, actions, or experiences, we will continue to tolerate some degree of exploitation.”
Leeberg-Melton also described sextortion as a growing form of trafficking that uses coercion to compel sexual activity or imagery.
“When you are holding something over someone’s head and then soliciting additional photographs or sexual acts with threats…that is, frankly, a form of human trafficking,” she said.
If you suspect someone is a victim of trafficking, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or report anonymously at humantraffickinghotline.org.
