Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, guest host Gulbransen welcomed all-star panelist and The Epoch Times’ Editor-at-Large Roger Simon and Mission America’s Aaron Spradlin in-studio to discuss the staggering numbers of American children that are trafficked each year and the money needed to combat it.
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Governor Glenn Youngkin held a ceremonial bill signing of legislation focused on blocking human trafficking, and a swearing in of the Commission on Human Trafficking Prevention and Survivor Support. He said the legislation would help victims get their lives back and have future opportunities, help find perpetrators and bring them to justice, and equip members of the public to recognize the signs of human trafficking and know how to respond.
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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation to keep defendants facing human trafficking charges from immediately returning to the streets after their arrest.
Senate Bill 461 adds human trafficking to the list of violent and sexual offenses that require a Superior Court judge to grant bail. The list also includes treason, rape, murder and aircraft hijacking.
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MARIETTA, Georgia – State Attorney General Chris Carr did not respond when The Georgia Star News asked why he did not mention the topic of election integrity at the “Conversation with the Candidates” event hosted by the Cobb County Republican Women’s Club (CCRWC) on Tuesday.
Despite a request from the emcee and moderator to maintain quiet respect for all candidates, Carr’s introduction received the loudest boos of the night from a portion of the crowd – surpassing the dissent heard from the crowd for Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, later in the evening. Raffensperger was observed walking in late with his wife, Tricia, both of whom were dapperly dressed, minutes before his scheduled appearance after the event’s intermission.
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A two-day undercover, multi-agency human trafficking operation resulted in the arrest of eight men accused of seeking illicit sex from minors in Sevier County, according to a press release by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
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In partnership with two federal law enforcement agencies, the Virginia State Police (VSP) is conducting a three-day sweep to combat human trafficking on the I-95 corridor.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. partnered with the Virginia State Police and the Virginia Trucking Association in order to detect, deter, and raise awareness of the growing problem of human trafficking,” said an ICE press release. “During mid-April, they will conduct Operation Safe Passage, a high‐visibility, human trafficking prevention and public outreach initiative.”
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Three Georgia men were sentenced to federal prison for their role in a human trafficking scheme that forced individuals to work on farms in the state.
According to a release from the Department of Justice (DOJ), the three men all plead guilty to various offenses related to the trafficking network.
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Governor Bill Lee has placed his signature on House Joint Resolution 0856, a resolution recognizing the Mission America Foundation for the work they do to combat child and human trafficking.
The Mission America Foundation “is dedicated to eradicating Child and Human Trafficking. We utilize prior military personnel to investigate trafficking leads and providing intelligence to law enforcement agencies. We provide ‘Situationally Aware Fundamentally Empowered’ (S.A.F.E), self defense training to young boys and girls. Our focus is increasing trafficking awareness, through speaking engagements to bring awareness to the domestic trafficking problems that plague this great nation.”
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A joint law enforcement operation between the United States and Mexico is targeting human traffickers at the U.S.’s southern border.
According to a release from the Department of Justice, the task force is aiming to stop a human trafficking operation that has moved hundreds of individuals from Mexico, Central America, and South America into Arizona.
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A Nashville man will spend 30 years in prison for sex trafficking a minor and transportation of a minor for the purpose of engaging in prostitution.
According to the release from the Department of Justice, Tavarie Williams was given the lengthy sentence by U.S. District Judge Eli J. Richardson after being convicted of the crime last year.
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Democrat State Representative Mike Stewart (D-Nashville) voted against a resolution honoring an organization that fights human and child trafficking.
The Tennessee State House of Representatives passed HJR0856, “A RESOLUTION to recognize Mission America Foundation” on Thursday. The vote was 83-1. Stewart was the sole no vote.
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Eight individuals were arrested for attempting to buy sex during an anti-human trafficking operation that took place in the northeastern region of the state, according to Attorney General Dave Yost.
The mission, Operation Fouled Out, involved the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission and focused on Cleveland, leading up to the National Basketball Association’s All-Star Game.
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The Tennessee State House is set to consider a a resolution honoring and commending the Mission America Foundation, a Tennessee-based 501c(3) organization dedicated to fighting human trafficking, for the work they do.
The Mission America Foundation works to empower military veterans to utilize their skill sets to help eradicate child and human trafficking.
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Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Friday he is launching an investigation into Chinese social media app TikTok over potential aiding of human trafficking and child privacy violations.
“Chinese-owned company TikTok may be complicit in child exploitation, sex trafficking, human trafficking, drug smuggling and other unimaginable horrors,” Paxton said in a statement Friday. “I will get to the bottom of these concerns and make sure Big Tech doesn’t interfere with the safety and security of Texans.”
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An Ohio man, Grant Rose, has been convicted on 15 different charges relating to his role in a human trafficking scheme with his girlfriend, according to a release from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
Rose and his girlfriend, Susan Walendzik, trafficked a minor and controlled her by getting her addicted to narcotics and fueling her addiction.
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Arizona is a state defined by limitless potential, a spirit of boundless liberty, and exceptional care for our neighbors. But Arizona’s political leadership has failed by plunging our cities into a crisis of unhelpful compassion and false sincerity. Throughout this campaign, and in my previous job as an Arizona journalist , I’ve had the opportunity to explore almost every inch of this beautiful state. And I’ve seen with dawning horror the growing homelessness crisis afflicting our cities. As Governor, I’ll protect our citizens from crime by ending this crisis and restore dignity to the homeless our political class has turned their backs on.
To start, we must empower police to bring order to our streets and protect our citizens from the affliction of homelessness: crime, sexual assaults, human trafficking, and public intoxication. Public spaces like parks and city sidewalks are not taxpayer sponsored reservations for the mentally-ill and drug addicted. We had tent cities in Arizona before, ironically, the left weren’t big fans of those back then. These spaces are a part of our communities and our homes. Commuters should never have to worry they’ll be mugged or carjacked, parents should never fear for their child’s safety at the park, and women should never fear potential sexual assault on our streets. We can quickly restore order by implementing a statewide urban camping ban, enhancing quality-of-life law enforcement, and aggressively arresting, and prosecuting, homeless individuals who break the law. Safety must come first, and Arizona must not be allowed to deteriorate into a dead city like San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington D.C.
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Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez on Friday held a roundtable discussion to highlight the dangers of human trafficking in the state.
The discussion, which included multiple government officials and experts on the issue, detailed that 40 percent of victims in Miami-Dade County are minors.
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In a press conference last week that lasted nearly two hours, President Biden expressed frustration with efforts by the opposition party to thwart the more ambitious aspects of his policy agenda.
“Think about this: What are Republicans for?” Biden said defiantly. “What are they for? Name me one thing they’re for.” For instance, the president then asked, “What do you think their position on human rights is?”
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Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate announced Thursday the creation of a statewide alliance of businesses to end human trafficking.
The Iowa Businesses Against Trafficking coalition is open to businesses and nonprofits that are promoting both awareness of human trafficking and the Iowa Safe at Home confidentiality program for survivors of human trafficking and other violent crimes, a news release from Pate’s office said. The office is administering the coalition and the Iowa Safe at Home program and inviting all businesses to join the mission, Pate said in the release.
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The Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, a division within the Georgia Attorney General’s office, indicted four Fulton County individuals on multiple trafficking and cruelty to children charges.
Two individuals, Raphel Olivia Sewer and Jody Netter, were charged with human trafficking and cruelty to children in the first degree. Netter also faces charges of rape and statutory rape.
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Florida ranked first in a nationwide analysis of states’ efforts to combat child sex trafficking.
According to a new report by Shared Hope International and the Institute for Justice and Advocacy, the majority of states, 40 out of 50, and the District of Columbia received failing grades for their anti-child and youth sex trafficking efforts.
Florida was the only state to receive a C grade. Ten states received D grades and 40 states received F grades. No states received A or B grades.
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The directive for Drug Enforcement Administration officials to not use the term “Mexican cartel” came directly from the Biden administration to ease relations with the Mexican government, two recently retired DEA officials told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The DCNF exclusively obtained an email in August that instructed DEA officials to “now avoid saying ‘Mexican cartel’” when speaking with the media. The email was sent as drugs continued to surge across the U.S.-Mexico border.
One recently-retired DEA official told the DCNF that when the new administration came in, the Department of Justice (DOJ) required DEA to submit news interview requests for approval. The retired official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the DOJ declined many of the national news requests on top of the language guidance, but eventually eased up and allowed some to do local interviews where he used the term “Mexican drug cartel” and called each by its name.
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A school teacher from Columbus has been arrested for allegedly paying to have sex with a teen whom police suspect was a victim of human trafficking.
“Robert Pea, 60, of Columbus, was arrested Wednesday morning and is charged with one count of compelling prostitution,” according to reports. “The Northland High School teacher is accused of contacting a 16-year-old girl through an online advertisement to have sex at a hotel in Reynoldsburg.”
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Governor Ron DeSantis joined Governor Greg Abbott in Texas for briefing to address the current crisis that is currently happening at the border since the Biden administration lifted multiple border policies issued by former President Trump.
Florida was the first state to provide help at the border after Governor DeSantis deployed law enforcement in June.
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Kettering University announced a new “Math for Social Justice” elective will address climate change, human trafficking, elections and racial justice causes through math modeling.
The course aims to teach students how to use statistics and data to address various social justice-related topics.
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GOP gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin rolled out a plan to combat human trafficking in Virginia. Youngkin’s plan calls for ramped up enforcement, survivor resources, and expanded education about human trafficking.
“When I am governor, we will not only bring the full weight of the law down on traffickers and buyers, we will also equip survivors to heal and flourish,” Youngkin said in a Thursday night stop in Falls Church.
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President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he would nominate Cindy McCain to be the U.S. representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture with the rank of ambassador, according to a White House press release.
McCain, the widow of former Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain, has been a critic of Donald Trump and endorsed Biden in the 2020 election, according to the Associated Press.
McCain is the chairman and director of the Hensley Beverage Company, a Phoenix-based alcohol distributor representing Anheuser-Busch, according to the McCain Institute website.
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The State of Tennessee is partnering with multiple organizations to help combat human trafficking, Governor Bill Lee announced on Thursday.
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s project, ItHasToStop.com, this form of modern-day slavery is one of the fastest growing crimes throughout the state and country as a whole. Further, cases of human trafficking have been reported in every county in Tennessee.
“I’m excited to invest in and partner with these remarkable organizations that are at the forefront of this important fight. Human trafficking has no place in our state, and I’m proud to support our law enforcement and non-profit partners,” Governor Lee said.
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A human trafficking sting operation in Ohio identified 53 victims and resulted in 93 arrests, the Ohio attorney general’s office announced on Monday.
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A report released Monday details how human traffickers are using Facebook – and the Biden administration’s new open border’s policies – to generate business and smuggle illegal aliens into the United States.
Public Facebook pages called “Migrants from Various Countries in Mexico” and “Migrants in the Mexico-U.S.A. Border Awaiting Hearing,” among others, were openly being used by smugglers on the Big Tech platform to scheme with would-be illegal aliens about how to break America’s immigration laws.
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Former U.S. Olympics gymnastics coach John Geddert has died by suicide at 63 years old after being charged with human trafficking, the New York Post reported.
On Thursday, Geddert was charged with crimes including sexual assault, human trafficking, lying to a police officer and running a criminal enterprise, the Post reported. According to the criminal charges filed by Michigan’s Attorney General Dana Nessel, the former coach could have faced up to a life sentence, ESPN reported.
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Attorney General Yost outlined the progress his office made during 2020 – reviewing arrests, rescues, prosecutions as well as the education and legislation efforts designed to achieve the goal “where no one is bought or sold in Ohio.” One statewide anti-human trafficking effort – Autumn Hope –netted 109 rescues…
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Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost called on Netflix to remove the controversial new movie “Cuties” from their platform.
In a joint letter to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, Yost, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton requested that the platform “voluntarily remove” the movie “from your service due to the great harm it causes to our children.”
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Counter-protesters wearing black activism gear targeted Representative Candice Keller (R-OH-53) after her speech this past weekend at a Save Our Children Rally in Columbus. Keller is an avid pro-life legislator and creator of the Ohio Heartbeat Bill.
Keller and her husband Kent – a write-in candidate for the Ohio Senate – attended the rally. In interviews with The Ohio Star, Keller states that she and her husband were walking back to their cars when they noticed people recording and following them. Every time the couple looked back, the group stopped and stared – but continued taping.
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The Columbus Dispatch published an article casting a local “Save the Children” event as a Trojan Horse for “QAnon” beliefs. Before the event even takes place, the article depicts it as mobilization for potential violence by conspiracy theory supporters.
It is the latest in a growing trend with media to downplay or dismiss child sex-trafficking awareness events as covers for other, darker political intentions. QAnon is a conspiracy theory that President Trump is secretly battling powerful and wealthy Satan-worshipping pedophiles.
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Tennessee ranked as the top state in America at combating human trafficking this year. This is the third straight year the Volunteer State has held the top ranking in the Shared Hope International annual report.
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On Wednesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – host Leahy welcomed Rockingham County, North Carolina’s Sheriff of 20 years, Samuel ‘Sam’ Page to the show to speak about illegal immigration and how it’s affecting his county and those across the nation.
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U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) joined Fox Business’ Mornings with Maria to discuss her legislation to require a DNA test to substantiate the familial relationship between an alien and an accompanying minor.
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Anti-sex trafficking activist and filmmaker Jaco Booyens told Fox News host Mark Levin there is “no question” President Donald Trump has done more than previous presidents to address sex trafficking.
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We Build the Wall sponsored a symposium Saturday to discuss border security issues and a “can-do attitude” that led to its construction of one segment of border wall.
The event was titled “Symposium at the Wall: Cartels, Trafficking, and Asylum.” The location was Sunland Park, New Mexico, near El Paso, Texas, where the organization built its first section of wall.
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by Shelby Talcott Four Virginia Beach business were raided in connection with possible human trafficking Thursday, according to authorities. One of the locations was a massage parlor that has been open for about seven or eight years, local outlet Wavy reported. People in the area were not surprised to…
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U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and three other Republican senators on Tuesday introduced legislation to protect children from being trafficked at the southern border. Blackburn announced she was working with U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Josh Hawley (R-MO). The bill, S. 1561, is also known…
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by Pedro Gonsalez Migrant women are so likely to be raped by people smugglers (coyotes) on the way to the U.S.-Mexico border that standard procedure is to ingest birth-control before starting the trek. So common is the brutalization of women by coyotes that in smuggling towns along the way pharmacists are at the…
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Retiring Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam on Monday gave executive clemency to convicted murderer Cyntoia Brown by commuting her life sentence. Brown will be released on Aug. 7 to parole supervision for a period of 10 years, Haslam said in a statement. She served 15 years in prison. She was convicted…
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by Henry Rodgers President Donald Trump said the federal government will remain shut down unless there is an agreement on some type of border wall or fence. “I can’t tell you when the government is going to reopen … [Not until] we have a wall, a fence, whatever they’d…
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by Robert Romano Between 2009 and 2016, more than 242,000 unaccompanied children arrived at the southwest border, according to data compiled by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, averaging about 30,000 a year. In 2016, that number was about 20,000. In addition, in 2016, about 23,000 family units were apprehended at the…
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U.S. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) told “Face the Nation” that the immigration policy that separated families was done in a “ready, fire, aim way,” and insinuated that Republicans who are concerned about illegal immigration hate others. The Tennessee Republican appeared on the CBS show Sunday. The host asked him if the…
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Twenty-two men, half of whom are now in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have been indicted in an undercover human trafficking sting in Brentwood. The operation was carried out by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), the Brentwood Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations and the office of…
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Border Patrol agents in San Diego uncovered early Saturday a smuggling tunnel that they said was used to transit illegal immigrants into the U.S. – a rare tactic that suggests the drug cartels that control border traffic are searching for new ways to sneak people across. Agents spotted several illegal…
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Brentwood Baptist Church will hold a training this weekend on fighting human trafficking that is open to the public. The church has been working with other local churches to build awareness about human trafficking in local communities and around the world. Saturday’s training will feature leaders from Alliance for Freedom,…
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