THE TAKE AWAY

Operation Cross Country

Restoration to the Least of These

Last weekend, 26-28 July, 2013, the FBI, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and more than 230 local law enforcement agencies swept across 76 cities to rescue 105 children and arrest the 152 pimps that held the children in sex trafficking situations. The youngest child was 13. This is the seventh such blitzkrieg, called "Operation Cross Country." To date, Cross Country has recovered more than 2700 children and resulted in 1350 convictions, including 10 life term sentences.

The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, "My lords, please turn aside to your servant's house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way." They said, "No; we will spend the night in the town square." But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them." Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, and said, "I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please."
Genesis 19:1-8

Numbers vary by city, and statistics are listed by FBI divisions, not necessarily strict geographic areas. The San Francisco FBI office rescued 12 children and arrested 17 pimps. In Detroit, 10 children were taken from 18 pimps. In Milwaukee, 10 children were recovered, but no pimps arrested. In Denver, 9 kids were rescued from 6 pimps.

As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the house, beating on the door. And they said to the old man, the master of the house, "Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him." And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, "No, my brothers, do not act so wickedly; since this man has come into my house, do not do this vile thing. Behold, here are my virgin daughter and his concubine. Let me bring them out now. Violate them and do with them what seems good to you, but against this man do not do this outrageous thing." But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go. And as morning appeared, the woman came and fell down at the door of the man's house where her master was, until it was light.

And her master rose up in the morning, and when he opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, behold, there was his concubine lying at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold. He said to her, "Get up, let us be going." But there was no answer.
Judges 19:22-28a

Intelligence-gathering begins long before the operation. Local law enforcement monitor truck stops, casinos, streets, and websites to analyze where and how organized sex crime groups operate. Arrests of local thugs and trafficking victims bring data about the larger organizations. When enough evidence is gathered, the US Attorney's Offices and the US Department of Justice's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section are brought in to prepare prosecution.

And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho." And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there…

Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you…Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a sure sign that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death." And the men said to her, "Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the LORD gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you."
Joshua 2:1, 12-14

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Published 8-1-13