A nationwide law enforcement operation has led to the arrests of 205 child sex abuse offenders and the rescue of 115 minors, with police officers being among those charged, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Known as “Operation Restore Justice,” the effort took place over the course of five days and was coordinated among the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 55 field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the DOJ’s Criminal Division, and assorted U.S. Attorney’s Offices.
Prosecutors say the offenders committed various crimes that include child sex trafficking, producing, distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material, online enticement and transporting minors.
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Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that the DOJ “will never stop fighting to protect victims” and “will not rest until we hunt down, arrest, and prosecute every child predator who preys on the most vulnerable among us.”
“I am grateful to the FBI and their state and local partners for their incredible work in Operation Restore Justice and have directed my prosecutors not to negotiate,” stated Bondi.
FBI Director Kash Patel believes the operation “proves that no predator is out of reach and no child will be forgotten.”
“Every child deserves to grow up free from fear and exploitation, and the FBI will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those who exploit the most vulnerable among us,” Patel said.
“By leveraging the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state and local partners, we’re sending a clear message: there is no place to hide for those who prey on children.”
Those arrested during the operation include a state trooper and an Army reservist who allegedly produced child sexual abuse material while wearing his uniforms, an undocumented migrant from Mexico living in Virginia who is accused of transporting a minor across state lines for sex, and a former Washington, D.C.-area police officer who allegedly trafficked minor victims.
The announcement follows the annual April observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, centered on spreading awareness of the problem of child abuse and neglect.
In a proclamation issued in early April, President Donald Trump stated that the government pledges “to bring every abuser, predator, and evildoer who threatens the health and safety of our children to swift justice.”
“I call on every American to take steps to prevent child abuse and neglect before it occurs. By doing so, we can reduce the risk of depression, suicide, substance abuse, and developmental challenges in our youth,” Trump said.
“As I stated during my Joint Address to the Congress last month, my message to every American child is simple: you are perfect exactly the way God made you.”
Similar coordinated efforts have taken place under previous administrations.
For example, in 2022, under “Operation Cross Country XII,” the FBI under the Biden administration worked alongside 200 state, local and federal partners, as well as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, to locate 121 missing children and arrest 85 suspected child sex traffickers.
In 2006, the DOJ launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide effort to better combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and hold accountable criminals who are exploiting children on the internet.
