Florida authorities reported this Tuesday the rescue of 163 children and young people who were missing or in situations of abuse or human trafficking, during a five-day international operation involving twelve countries, including Spain and Mexico. So far, three people have been arrested in connection with these cases, and more arrests are expected in the coming days, according to the State Attorney’s office.
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The minors ranged in age from 2 months to 17 years. Many of the children located had suffered various levels of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or exposure to other criminal activities, including human trafficking, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) said in a press release. Of them, 46 were found in the Tampa Bay area; 41 in Miami; 32 in Jacksonville; 21 in Orlando; 12 in Fort Myers; 8 in Pensacola; and 3 in the Tallahassee area, according to the FDLE.
“These minors are now safe and receiving the care they deserve,” said Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. According to Florida authorities, the rescued children and young people have been “safely transported by local law enforcement to designated care centers, where they received support from social services, child welfare professionals, medical providers, victim advocates, and other child-focused resources,” and information about their rescues has been documented through the Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse (MEPIC). The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) also participated in the transfer of custody of the victims.
Of the three people arrested, one is charged with three counts of lewd acts with a minor and has an arrest warrant for interference with child custody; another is charged with lewd assault against a victim aged 12 to 16; and one for interference in a child custody case and resisting authority without violence.
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This police deployment, named by authorities as “Operation State Shield,” extended to six other states and federal territories — Alabama, California, Ohio, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Puerto Rico — and to twelve countries — Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominica, Finland, Ghana, Guatemala, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Spain, and Taiwan. Commissioner Glass and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier have described this recovery operation as one of the largest ever conducted in the United States.
In November 2025, Florida authorities conducted a similar operation, rescuing 122 children and adolescents, aged between 23 months and 17 years, and arresting six people. On that occasion, 57 of these minors were rescued in the Tampa Bay area, 14 in the city of Orlando, 22 in Jacksonville, and another 29 in locations on the state’s west coast.
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