More To Living helped recover 163 minors in Florida trafficking sweep

More To Living by More Too Life says it helped coordinate advocacy logistics during Operation SHIELD, a Florida law enforcement recovery effort that located 163 children and young people. More than 70% of those encountered disclosed or showed signs of conduct consistent with federal human trafficking definitions, underscoring the need for follow-up care after recovery.

Why it matters: - Operation SHIELD shows why child recovery efforts need more than arrests and searches. - More To Living says the operation created a path to connect recovered youth with assessment, safety, services and longer-term restoration. - The group says the work matters because many exploited children are reacting to trauma, displacement, violence and repeated system failures.

What happened: - More To Living by More Too Life (MTL) helped lead advocacy logistics and partner coordination during Operation SHIELD, a statewide Florida Department of Law Enforcement recovery effort. - The operation resulted in 163 children and young people being recovered or located. - MTL worked with state and local law enforcement, victim advocates, government agencies and nonprofit partners during the operation. - MTL said its ground team was led by Kim Figueroa, the organization’s law enforcement director.

The details: - MTL said more than 70% of the young people encountered disclosed experiences or showed circumstances consistent with the federal definition of human trafficking. - The organization said some youth had experienced extreme violence and abuse. - MTL said many of the young people were running, hiding, missing or trapped in cycles of trauma that began long before the operation. - Dr. Brook Parker Bello, MTL’s CEO and executive director, said the organization has seen for more than 22 years that children are often treated as the problem when the real crisis is what happened to them. - Figueroa said recovery opens a short window of trust and requires coordinated follow-up so young people do not return to unsafe conditions. - MTL said recovery is not the end of the work and described it as the start of restoration.

Between the lines: - The operation underscores a broader shift in anti-trafficking work: locating a child is only one step, while stabilization, advocacy and services determine whether the intervention lasts. - MTL argued that labeling traumatized youth as defiant or delinquent can hide exploitation and delay help. - The organization also framed the issue as a systems problem, not a single-agency problem. - MTL said no single organization can solve human trafficking and child endangerment alone.

What's next: - MTL said it will continue working with law enforcement and community partners on recovery operations, survivor advocacy, prevention, intervention, mentoring, education, court-connected services and long-term restoration. - The organization said many of the 163 young people may need months or years of support, including safe housing, trauma-informed advocacy, education, mentorship, treatment and opportunity. - MTL said successful recovery depends on whether adults and systems stay engaged after the initial rescue.

The bottom line: - MTL wants the public to remember the 163 as children with names and futures, not a statistic. - The organization’s message is clear: survival is not identity, and recovery only matters if support continues after the operation ends.