Combating human trafficking is a priority for the Trump administration’s Health and Human Services Department, but the agency can’t do it alone.
That’s why HHS partnered with state and local officials in Mississippi to carry out a two-week human trafficking sting leading to 72 felony and misdemeanor arrests and 29 victim rescues, 15 of whom opted to receive rehabilitation resources, according to data provided first to The Daily Signal.
“We’ve been going after human traffickers, sex-offender registry, trying to make sure they’re in compliance, and trying to get the drug dealers of fentanyl, and we’ve had about 400 local, state, and federal law enforcement partners that have helped us in all these five different locations across the state,” Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch told The Daily Signal.
Operation Guardian Force ran from July 14 to July 29.
“It’s been amazing to see all the rescues and to really help these victims, because the ultimate goal is to help them get into society without any shame or blame,” Fitch added. “We offer that hope and that next step in their journey to them.”
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Andrew Gradison, acting assistant secretary at HHS’s Administration for Children and Families, flew to Mississippi to watch the sting in action.
“When we were in Mississippi last week on a Wednesday night, over an eight-hour period, while the sun was still out, they were able to make three arrests and charge criminals with trafficking offenses,” Gradison told The Daily Signal in an interview, “and they were able to get nine victims off the streets. Five of them accepted services.”
The partnership in Mississippi is a model for how HHS wants to team up with other state attorneys general to combat trafficking, according to Gradison.
“The attorney general is a leader in this space, because she has prioritized getting traffickers off the streets to clean up their communities,” Gradison said. “As the Trump administration, we are ready to partner with any law enforcement agency that wants to combat human trafficking.”
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Author: Dillon B
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