A statewide rescue operation has reportedly recovered 122 children and is being touted as "one of the largest child-recovery operations in American history."
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the results of the operation Monday morning calling it “Operation Home for the Holidays.”
Uthmeier said the U.S. Marshals Service-led recovery initiative located or safely recovered 122 children. He said the the operation surpassed the scale and success of Operation Dragon Eye, conducted earlier this year, and expanded across Tampa Bay, Orlando, Jacksonville, Fort Myers, and into nine other states.
Uthmeier, in information posted to X about the case, said he wasn't aware yet of any people in the country illegally were involved in this case. He added that every time his office runs a child predator stings, around 20% or so are people who are in the country illegally.
A similar operation run earlier this year in Florida recovered 60 children, the attorney general's office said.
The operation reportedly also resulted in six felony arrests, with additional charges expected as investigations continue.
Specific details about the types of situations the children were found in and what locations they were found at were not available. A Florida Attorney General office spokesman said that "due to the victims being children, many details are withheld for confidentiality reasons. As criminal cases are filed, we will be able to get you more information as it relates to the defendants."
Information from Uthmeier's office said that over a two-week span, the multi-disciplinary task force located vulnerable youth throughout Central Florida, including 57 children in the Tampa Bay region, 14 in Orlando, 22 in Jacksonville, and 29 in Fort Myers. The operation also resulted in recoveries in nine other states.
The children ranged in age from 23 months to 17 years old. The information released said that many of those recovered experienced various levels of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or exposure to other criminal activity.
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