In a significant crackdown on human trafficking coinciding with the 2026 FIFA World Cup, federal agents arrested over 900 suspects and rescued 180 victims, including 30 children. This was announced by the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday.
The impressive tally of 905 arrests was the result of operations spearheaded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. This effort was in collaboration with the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking and various law enforcement agencies at the federal, state, and local levels.
“While attendees of the FIFA World Cup delighted in the event’s festivities, ICE’s dedicated officers were busy dismantling human trafficking schemes in the tournament’s host cities nationwide,” stated DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis in an official release.
She further emphasized, “Federal law enforcement successfully apprehended over 900 individuals linked to these crimes and freed nearly 200 victims. Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Mullin, our commitment to eradicating human trafficking networks remains steadfast.”
Excited fans gathered for the highly anticipated FIFA World Cup 2026 final showdown between Spain and Argentina at New Jersey Stadium, commonly known as MetLife Stadium, in East Rutherford, N.J., on July 19, 2026. (Anadolu via Getty Images)
One of the biggest cases unfolded Friday in Dallas, where HSI agents arrested eight people accused of running an adult bookstore that investigators said had secretly operated as a brothel for more than 20 years.
The investigation began in 2023 and found that thousands of adults and children were allegedly sold for sex through the business, according to DHS. Investigators identified dozens of victims. One victim was murdered in 2024, and a defendant in that case was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent stands before a large American flag. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images, File)
The eight suspects face charges that include conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and money laundering conspiracy. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
In another case, HSI agents in San Francisco, working with the FBI and local police, rescued two girls believed to be victims of human trafficking. One of them had been missing from Bakersfield, California, since November 2025, according to DHS.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at work. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images, File)
The trafficking cases were part of a broader security effort during the World Cup.
DHS also said its agencies seized more than 700 unauthorized drones, inspected more than 19,000 vehicles headed to stadiums and fan festivals and confiscated hundreds of thousands of counterfeit World Cup merchandise items worth more than $33 million.