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What We Know About the FBI’s Latest National ‘Human Trafficking’ Sting

Operation Cross Country, the FBI's annual vice squad bonanza disguised as a human-trafficking rescue mission, is back. This year's operation was conducted throughout the first two weeks of August, involving more than 200 federal, state, and local agencies across the U.S.

The FBI reports that Operation Cross Country 2022 located 37 missing minors, identified “more than 200 victims,” and led to the “identification or arrest” of 85 suspects. But it gives us little information beyond these broad statistics.

An array of videos and press releases about the initiative are long on generalized talk about how horrible human trafficking crimes are and how good it is to help victims—things few people would dispute. But they offer very few details about what this year's Operation Cross Country actually entailed, or about the alleged perpetrators, the charges they face, or those they purportedly victimized.

This lack of concrete information suggests we may be dealing with highly propagandized spin on some—at best—run-of-the-mill work. If there's one thing law enforcement agents are not, it's modest. So if the FBI and its partners had actually arrested a bunch of sex traffickers or busted up some major human trafficking rings, they would surely tell us that in no uncertain terms.

Operation Cross Country arrests

But the FBI press release mentions only three federal cases, none involving or . The cases mentioned include one person failing to register as a sex offender and two “suspects who may have been involved with child sexual abuse material production or enticement violations.”

That doesn't rule out further charges forthcoming, of course. But if past Operation Cross Country initiatives are any guide, you probably shouldn't hold your breath.

Reason did a deep dive into Operation Cross Country a few years back, showcasing how the program largely cracked down on sex workers and their customers, along with other people suspected of petty offenses (like drug possession or driving without a license). Though the FBI, Homeland Security, and other federal agencies team up with local and state police, very few people are charged with federal crimes and even fewer with sex trafficking. But by lumping all the arrests together, the FBI generates large numbers and then blasts these out in misleading statements, touting the hundreds of arrests made during its sex trafficking sting. This splashy framing then gets lots of sensationalist media attention, leaving many readers with the impression that hundreds of sex traffickers were thwarted instead of hundreds of adults just trying to engage in consensual sex with other adults.

FBI agents during Operation Cross Country XIII

The FBI has sometimes listed the number of prostitution and solicitation arrests made during Operation Cross Country, as well as the number of arrests related to other charges. This year, however, it provided no such information.

Nor does it provide much information about the victims that were allegedly helped.

The FBI's national press office says only that the operation led to “the location” of 141 adult and 84 minor “victims of human trafficking and related crimes.” It gives no information on how many were victims of human trafficking versus “related crimes,” nor any indication what these related crimes might be—leaving open the possibility that this might include prostitution even if no “trafficker” was involved. (It's not uncommon for law enforcement to refer to prostitution generally as “sex trafficking” or human trafficking,” and to label adult sex workers as “victims” of it.) The feds don't even give the average age of the minors found this year, merely telling us that one child—who may have been missing, a runaway, or a victim of sexual exploitation—was 11 years old and that “the average age of victims located in similar operations is approximately 15.5 years old.”

Statements from some field offices use even more vague language, stating that minors were either located or just “identified” and that the minors were not necessarily being victimized but merely “identified as high risk for exploitation.” Language from some field offices is also more tentative about the victim status of the adults. For instance, FBI Jacksonville said they “identified six adult potential human trafficking victims”—which, again, may simply mean they found and/or arrested six adult sex workers.

FBI agent rifling through a woman's purse

Historically, police partaking in Operation Cross Country—which launched in 2008—have even been known to arrest those described as victims, including minors. Law enforcement seems to be moving away from this, although it's possible the backlash they faced over it has simply made them quieter about it.

Even without arrest, the treatment of those “rescued” can still be suspect. Teenage runaways found selling sex—who counted as sex trafficking victims even if there is no trafficker—may simply be returned to the places they ran away from, with little inquiry. Adults “rescued” may be given nothing more than a bag of toiletries and referrals to local shelters or charities.

Locating runaway children is, of course, a good thing. It is, however, a very different thing than busting up rings. Yet everything about the FBI's presentation of Operation Cross Country is designed to give the impression it's doing the latter—and to get good publicity for it. It even provides TV-news-ready video footage for anyone's use.

 

This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original location.

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PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.

More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.

 

EYES ON TRAFFICKING

This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original online location.

ABOUT PBJ LEARNING

PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on awareness and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials online course is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.

More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.