Florida authorities rescued 122 missing or at-risk children from trafficking and other abuses and arrested six suspects in one of the “largest operations” against these scourges in U.S. history, state Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Monday.
The two-week ‘Home for the Holidays’ operation resulted in the rescue of 57 children in Tampa Bay, 14 in Orlando, 22 in Jacksonville and 29 in Fort Myers, all in Florida, while the rest were in nine other states, the official told a press conference.
122 children rescued in Florida
Today at @FBIJacksonville, the #FBI and our law enforcement and community partners announced the results of Operation Home for the Holidays – a two-week, coordinated effort that led to the recovery of 122 children across 10 states – including 22 children in Jacksonville – all… pic.twitter.com/XrNQyUEnKs
– FBI (@FBI) November 17, 2025
The children ranged in age from 23 months to 17 years old and “many had experienced various levels” of abuse, neglect, exploitation and exposure to other criminal activity.
Florida’s attorney general stated that “this is one of the largest single rescue operations in the history of the United States”.
“Many of these children have been victimized in unspeakable ways. We will go after their abusers,” Uthmeier stated.
The rescue involved the collaboration of agencies such as the U.S. Marshals Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), the Department of Children and Families, and the Department of Juvenile Justice.
The investigation used real-time intelligence and field operations to locate the children, while child advocates and specialists provided resources to assist the rescued victims.
The operation doubled the 60 missing children, presumed victims of trafficking, that ‘Operation Dragon Eye’ saved in June, also in Florida.
More than 460,000 children go missing each year on average in the United States, although most are found, and one in seven children who run away to the streets were victims of sex trafficking, according to the National Protection Task Force.
With information from EFE
