Florida Announces Largest Child Rescue Mission in US History – The American Spectator | USA News and PoliticsThe American Spectator

Yesterday, Florida officials announced the success of Operation Dragon Eye, which rescued 60 children from a sex trafficking ring. In a strong display of unity, 20 federal, state, and local agencies worked together over a two-week period to bring these 60 juveniles home and put eight criminals behind bars, making Operation Dragon Eye the largest child rescue mission in United States history.

At a news conference hosted by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, 10 officials testified to the power of the unified team and highlighted key points from the operation.

Firstly, each official acknowledged that without the unity displayed by all 100 individuals involved with Operation Dragon Eye, success would have been unthinkable.

Lee Bercaw, Tampa’s chief of police, said that a rescue mission of this scale is more meaningful than the number of children saved; it took unity around a mission to protect children. “No one agency can do it,” commented Mark Glass, the Commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. “Children are a precious gift to us, and we have to protect them.”

Law enforcement agencies at every level along with social service organizations, child welfare groups, and community members all aided in Operation Dragon Eye, making it a “powerful testament to what can be accomplished through communication, collaboration and data sharing,” according to Callahan Walsh, executive director of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The operation stressed arrest due to the tendency of child traffickers to make repeated contact with their victims. Thus, eight criminals were arrested and charged with a litany of crimes: child endangerment, human trafficking, and drug possession were listed among them. Bonds for these criminals ranged from no bond to $250 million.  

Most of the recovered victims are involved with the juvenile justice system, according to the director of Human Trafficking Intervention, Katherine Gomez. Regardless of who the victims were, Florida prioritized their retrieval and recovery, believing that each young person has “inherent worth and dignity.”

“Every kid recovered by this operation is an opportunity … we know that they are safe,” Gomez continued. “And that is worth it.”

Natasha Nascimento, founder and executive director of Redefining Refuge, noted the generational impact that Operation Dragon Eye made. Some girls rescued during Dragon Eye are pregnant, so the operation not only saved them but also their unborn children, who will now be born into recovery instead of trauma.  

As many officials noted, “bringing a child to safety is only the beginning.” The traumatizing abuse endured by many of the victims will require medical and emotional care, which the state has already begun providing.

Restorative actions for the victims are not the only steps Florida has planned to move forward. Many officials, including Bercaw, issued severe warnings to criminals who target children. Bercaw warned that there will be “no safe haven” for offenders like those captured in the past two weeks.  

Bercaw’s colleagues across department lines upheld his threats. “To the suspects that are out there, we’re coming to get you. If you want to take our children, we’re going to take you off our streets,” warned the chief of police for the St. Petersburg Police Department, Anthony Holloway.

Going forward, Florida officials say that they will continue this highly organized and unified fight against child predators to keep Florida a safe state for families.

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