Thousands of U.S. children are being trafficked south across the Mexican border into sex slavery, according to a veterans group vowing to rescue as many children as possible.
Brian Stern, founder and CEO of Project Dynamo, announced “Operation: Lighthouse” on Thursday in honor of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
“Our goal is to rescue American children who have somehow escaped the country and are being trafficked around the world,” he said.
Some people are said to have been kidnapped. Some were tempted. Some escaped on their own but fell into the hands of child sex traffickers.
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Police patrol refugees entering Romania from Ukraine in March 2023. Project Dynamo founder Brian Stern said he encountered human traffickers on the Ukraine-Romania border while conducting rescue operations during the Russian invasion. (Project Dynamo)
Project Dynamo is a veteran-led nonprofit organization with the mission of rescuing people from disaster-stricken and conflict-affected areas. The organization was formed during the disastrous U.S. troop withdrawal in 2021, when the Biden administration ceded control of Afghanistan to the Taliban.
Since then, Dynamo says it has rescued nearly 7,000 people around the world.
Our goal is to rescue American children who have somehow escaped the country and are trafficked around the world.
Stern said that while conducting rescue operations in Ukraine shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, he encountered human traffickers attempting to lure refugees into modern-day slavery at the Romanian border.
“It was frankly fascinating to watch how predatory they were,” he said. “I really hated it.”
Project Dynamo founder Brian Stern (left) poses with a group of people the organization rescued from Ukraine. (Project Dynamo)
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He warns them to leave, begins investigating the matter, learns that American children appear in explicit videos shot in Central and South America, and vows to rescue them.
“Human trafficking in America… is a disease,” he said on a conference call with reporters Thursday. “This is a terrible situation plaguing our country, and it is no different than fentanyl, a commodity business targeting innocent Americans.”
He pointed to a Florida sting operation that ended this week with 123 arrests and the rescue of 28 human trafficking victims. U.S. law enforcement doesn't need his help, but Project Dynamo, like the rescue efforts of the past three years, aims to operate in places where U.S. law enforcement leaves little footprint. he added.
“When the jurisdiction doesn't allow it, when the resources don't allow it, when the power of the United States government doesn't allow it, then someone, something, someone has to act.” “Dynamo's motto is 'Don't be a bystander'.”
People take a group selfie with Brian Stern, who was rescued by Project Dynamo from Ukraine in March 2023. (Project Dynamo)
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While the border crisis has focused attention on media coverage of migrants entering the country illegally, little attention has been paid to the flow of trafficking victims in the opposite direction, he said.
“The important things are there. [are] “American children are being actively targeted, kidnapped and run away from home with the express intent of coercing them into the sex industry. This is one thing that cannot be defended,” he said. Ta.
Stern also encourages parents to have an emergency plan in place, just in case.
Traffickers often force victims to call their parents and tell them “it's okay,” and then come up with excuses to delay missing person reports and search efforts, he said. This gives the traffickers a head start and a chance to disappear.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in Florida arrested 123 people during Operation Renewal Hope, which targets human trafficking. (Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)
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“If there was a 'compulsion' word where a child called a parent and said, 'Hey, Mom, I'm going to Little Johnny's house. I'm going to watch a show about elephants,'” Mom said that the elephant is If the mother utters the words “duress'' without informing the bad guy, she should immediately call 911, check their location on their cell phone, send their location information, and take some action. “You know what's going to happen and you're against thinking everything is okay when it's not,” he said. He said.
Parents should also be able to control privacy settings on their children's smartphones, he said.
Anyone who suspects human trafficking can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
