The safe recovery of 60 “critically missing” youth at risk of violence and sexual exploitation and the arrest of eight individuals is being touted as the most successful such mission in U.S. Marshals Service history—and perhaps in U.S. history. William Berger, U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Florida, made that statement in praising the approximate 20 law enforcement and child protection agencies involved in “Operation Dragon Eye.” The operation was unique, Berger said, in that it provided debriefing, physical and psychological care, and follow-up assistance for the children, ages 9 to 17. Katherine Gomez, director of Human Trafficking Intervention with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, said each recovered child now has a new opportunity. “It’s a chance, it’s a touchpoint, it’s a connection for that young person and the larger community,” she said. The eight arrests included charges of human trafficking and child endangerment.
