The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of the United States announced on Wednesday that its agents arrested 905 human trafficking suspects and "rescued" 180 victims during the FIFA World Cup 2026, in the largest anti-trafficking operation conducted around a sporting event in the country.
According to the official statement from DHS, the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, along with the DHS Center to Combat Human Trafficking and federal, state, and local partners, executed the so-called "Operation Red Card" in the 11 host cities of the tournament throughout the event.
Of the 180 rescued victims, 150 were adults and 30 were minors.
The DHS Undersecretary Lauren Bis summarized the scope of the operation: "While Americans and international visitors enjoyed the FIFA World Cup, the men and women of ICE were actively working to dismantle trafficking networks in the tournament host cities across the country."
"Federal law enforcement arrested more than 900 suspects and rescued nearly 200 victims. Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, we are dismantling human trafficking networks," concluded Deputy Secretary Bis.
One of the most serious cases was carried out on July 24 by HSI Dallas, which executed eight federal arrest warrants against operators of an adult bookstore on Harry Hines Boulevard that operated as a covert brothel for over 20 years.
The investigation, launched in 2023, found that thousands of adults and minors were sold for commercial sex through this operation, with dozens of victims identified.
One of those victims was murdered in 2024; the perpetrator was sentenced to life in prison.
The charges against those detained in Dallas include conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, sex trafficking using force, fraud and coercion, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
On June 23, HSI San Francisco, along with the FBI and the San Francisco Police, rescued two minor victims of trafficking; one of them had been reported missing in Bakersfield, California, in November 2025.
Among the cities with the highest number of arrests, Miami-Dade stood out with approximately 190 arrests, and Atlanta, with 153, of which 13 were related to trafficking charges and 11 to child exploitation.
In Tennessee, three Cubans were arrested on July 14 in Sumner County as part of the same operation, with nine potential victims identified.
Beyond trafficking, the DHS reported other security outcomes during the tournament: the seizure of more than 700 unauthorized drones in conjunction with the FBI, over 19,000 vehicle inspections at stadium access points, and the confiscation of more than 473,000 counterfeit FIFA merchandise items with an estimated value exceeding 33 million dollars.
The Trump administration deployed ICE and HSI agents at all venues since the start of the tournament on June 11, with the stated aim of addressing serious crimes without conducting large-scale immigration raids.
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