As the Biden administration’s open border policies on the southwest border create an environment ripe for child trafficking, State Sen. Bob Hall (R–Edgewood) interviewed subject matter expert Craig Sawyer, a former Navy SEAL and founder of Veterans for Child Rescue.

“I founded Veterans for Child Rescue to expose the extent of child trafficking to American citizens so that we would all understand the nature of the threat and so we could better defend our children from it,” explained Sawyer.

Background

Right after Sawyer founded his organization, his daughter was taken at knifepoint and violently sexually assaulted. She responded to this horrific experience by fighting back, both in court against her rapist and by acting as a decoy for Veterans for Child Rescue to stop other sexual predators.

“She says he’s a serial rapist and maybe a murderer, that he won’t stop unless we stop him. So she was intent on stopping him,” said Sawyer. “I think it’s important to share that so people can be inspired by a little girl that can fight back.”

Sawyer has a message for all the lawmakers in Texas and across the nation: “Don’t let my petite little daughter outperform you in fighting back against child trafficking.”

Getting Involved

“I think it’s important for us as American citizens to realize anybody that’s identifying us as victims is telling us we can’t make a difference,” said Sawyer. “It’s not doing us any service. We have to realize the hostility in that mind trick of causing us to give up and think that we are powerless or can’t be effective when we unite to stand up for what’s right.”

Sawyer highlights the need for a criminal justice system that actually punishes those who commit crimes against children.

We need a legal system that will prosecute these criminals that are ruining our country. And to go soft on them is not merciful. … When you have a serial rapist or a child trafficker or a murderer, it’s not kind to let them continue harming others through a slack judicial system.

“There are those of us that live within the rules of society, and we’re productive, and we’re loving, and we treat our neighbors the way we want to be treated hopefully, but that’s the way we’re designed to work. And when those who cannot live within that system begin ruining it for all of the rest of us, they need to be put in a box or where they can’t do that anymore,” said Sawyer. He encourages citizens to take a thorough look at the local justice system.

“We have a series of judges, DAs, and AGs who will not prosecute entire categories of crimes due to those who fund their campaigns and help put them in those seats,” said Sawyer. “Folks, you need to start looking at your local judges and district attorneys and even your state AGs and say, ‘Are they putting a lot of child predators away?’ Or are they allowing the children to continue to be harmed because there’s a political conflict of interest there or a financial conflict of interest?”

According to Sawyer’s estimates, the child-trafficking industry in the U.S. brings in $38-50 billion a year.

“It’s bigger than all pro sports combined in annual revenue,” says Sawyer. “This is not some small side project; this is a major industrial scale crime destroying our precious and innocent children.”

The Border

Sawyer and his organization have run sting operations in South Texas, hunting down child traffickers.

“We r[a]n a sting operation. We got six child predators in three afternoons,” said Sawyer. “Boy, they came running, and local law enforcement there were surprised how many responded.”

“Texas has just as big a problem with child trafficking as any of the other states, maybe more now that the border is down and there’s this massive flood,” said Sawyer.

He also raised concerns regarding Texas being used to facilitate child trafficking, “because a lot of these flights that are taking children from the southern border and flying them into [the interior of the country]—we’re talking about government-chartered flights into other states—are handling the transportation of these children like a covert drug drop. They’re dropping these children after hours, when it’s illegal to land in these airfields.”

Sawyer referenced a specific incident from last year, when a plane full of unaccompanied children landed in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the dead of night.

“It’s illegal to land at this airfield after midnight per local ordinances” said Sawyer, “and they have the contents of the aircraft listed as cargo rather than souls.”

“Why the shameful, covert nature of these operations and the illegal nature of it after hours with bogus tail numbers and illegal labeling of the contents as cargo rather than souls?” asked Sawyer.

There’s something that Texas can look into to make sure that the state isn’t being used dishonorably in that manner.

Sawyer said the state of the southwest border is “truly an invasion, but the humanitarian piece of it is just a smoke screen to keep you from looking behind the curtain to see what the cartels are doing and what is this heinous thing of child trafficking.”

He says what’s happening at the border is “being done on purpose,” and masquerading the issue as a humanitarian crisis is a disservice to those trafficked and dying at the hands of the cartels through fentanyl overdoses and failed smuggling attempts.

A Culture of Silence

Veterans for Child Rescue filmed a documentary called ContraLand that exposes the multibillion-dollar child-trafficking industry.

Following the research for ContraLand, Sawyer said it raises questions regarding the integrity of many elected officials.

“Whether or not you have children, or even care about children, you are not getting what you’re voting for in so many ways because so many of the elected officials are compromised,” said Sawyer. “They answer to whoever holds the footage of them having sex with minors, doing drugs, or whatever it is that they’ve got compromised doing. They’re beholden to those people that control that video rather than to you and I, the American voters.”

Hope

However, Sawyer believes there is cause for hope.

“I think that when people realize that there’s a way to blow the whistle and there is a way to expose these crooks—because exposure, Senator Hall, is what they cannot withstand—at least these crews that have the whole inside political system monopolized and wired for corruption cannot withstand public exposure,” said Sawyer.

Shining a light in the darkness takes courage, says Sawyer, but he believes the risk is worth it.

It’s worth it, no matter what the retaliation against you, because nothing gets fixed unless one of us steps forward and is willing to risk our career to bring about a positive change.

“Divided we fall, and we have been divided in every way imaginable—in some ways I couldn’t even imagine—so united we stand,” said Sawyer. “That’s where our power is—speak the truth boldly. Don’t let anybody silence your voice.”

Sydnie Henry

A born and bred Texan, Sydnie serves as the Managing Editor for Texas Scorecard. She graduated from Patrick Henry College with a B.A. in Government and is utilizing her research and writing skills to spread truth to Texans.

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