The Department of Health and Human Services has launched a new pilot program in Mississippi called “Operation Hope,” an initiative led by federal law enforcement to locate missing foster children before they become victims of trafficking.
The program has already helped recover 13 missing foster children in the state, with officials reporting that 87% of Mississippi’s missing foster youth were found within 48 hours.
“One of the largest pipelines to domestic trafficking is vulnerable youth who have experienced foster care,” Administration for Children and Families Assistant Secretary Alex Adams said. “Our primary goal is to prevent that from happening.”
Federal officials state that roughly 60% of child sex trafficking victims have spent time in the child welfare system. More than 23,000 children were reported missing from foster care in 2024 alone.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch praised the effort and stated the initiative aims to create a national model for protecting vulnerable children. “There are children all across this country who live without hope, but through partnerships like this we can show them that we care,” Fitch said.
The Trump administration plans to expand Operation Hope nationwide through partnerships with state attorneys general and local law enforcement agencies. Officials noted the initiative builds on “Project Hope,” a similar operation launched during Trump’s first term that helped locate dozens of missing children in Kansas and Missouri.
The administration’s broader crackdown on child trafficking has also extended to unaccompanied migrant minors who entered the U.S. during the Biden administration. A July 2025 Department of Homeland Security report indicated HHS uncovered a backlog of more than 65,000 unresolved reports involving unaccompanied migrant children.
Officials reported the Trump administration processed more than 59,000 of those reports, generating more than 4,000 investigative leads related to suspected trafficking, fraud, sexual exploitation, and other criminal activity.
Then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stated: “The evil of human trafficking cannot be overstated. By leaving our borders open and even encouraging people to come here illegally, Biden enabled the largest human-trafficking operation in modern history.”
The Department of Homeland Security reported federal agents located approximately 13,000 migrant children through the administration’s expanded enforcement operations.
