DOJ Is Ignoring Child Sex-Trafficking Victims

Jul 30, 2012 08:00 AM EST

Brandon Darby, previously an FBI informant, is speaking out on the DOJ's hesitancy to help human trafficking victims, particularly minors. Read more of his shocking account.

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From Townhall Magazine's August report, "FBI Informants Speak Out: Eric Holder's DOJ Is Ignoring Child Sex-Trafficking Victims," by Brandon Darby:
Why Speaking Out Is Necessary

My experiences of working undercover with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force have been well-documented by the media, as has my conversion from a prominent left-of-center activist to a tea party activist who advocates for law enforcement and for our nation.

I was an operational human source, commonly referred to by the public as a type of informant, for the FBI. The FBI has had special agents testify under oath that I was trustworthy and reliable and that my information was always accurate and never deceptive. They also testified under oath that my motivations were deemed to be moral and ideological, not financial. These factors categorized me as a “trusted source,” meaning my words were capable of initiating the FBI to assign resources to request warrants be issued. I have refrained from speaking on issues surrounding my experiences with the FBI, except in matters they have chosen to make public or otherwise ensured me would not have an effect on an ongoing investigation. I have also refrained from discussing any involvement with the FBI since the much-publicized 2009 trial of far Left would-be bombers in which I was the star witness for the FBI and the United States Attorneys’ Office.

It’s no secret that I have retained relationships within the FBI and that I have utilized these relationships for the purposes of helping citizens report crimes or terroristic activity. I have not discussed the fact that I was reactivated as an operational human source for the purpose of aiding the FBI’s efforts to stop human trafficking. In other words, I went back undercover. I am now speaking out without the approval or consent of the FBI due to the gross lack of concern or action from the Justice Department overall to stop known cases of children being trafficked by criminals for the purposes of sex and profits. Another former FBI human source, Dottie Laster, joins me in an effort to hold the DOJ accountable for neglecting the children we know to be sex slaves. Defending the men and women who serve in the FBI and other agencies under the United States Department of Justice has been a central effort in my life since my identity was revealed in connection with the aforementioned trial. I have, however, refrained from defending the politically appointed leadership and their executive managers within the organizations. It is unfortunate that my conscience now mandates I speak out about the leadership’s decisions and priorities. It is unfortunate that I must break from keeping with the culture of silence so prevalent in federal law enforcement agencies under the DOJ.
Untangling the Knots
Laster, a longtime advocate for the victims of human trafficking, contacted me seeking understanding as to why the Justice Department seemingly had little interest in pursuing investigations where slavery was involved. She initially asked me why I would defend such entities when they were refusing to help the victims she worked with. I explained to her that there was surely something we could do as citizens, and I began to research the matter. I discussed the issue with various federal agents and others employed by or otherwise under the umbrella of the DOJ. I learned that the majority of law enforcement agencies did not take on human trafficking investigations due to complications arising from interacting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Agencies that received federal funding were required by federal law to inform ICE of any such investigations and cooperate with them. Unfortunately, ICE would frequently act unilaterally and raid the facility that was being investigated. This made any substantial long-term investigation impossible. ICE has a very thin charter, and removing possible illegal aliens took priority over prosecutable cases. If ICE engaged in a raid too soon, the local agency investigating the possible human trafficking was left with little evidence for prosecutions and therefore wasted much needed dollars and work hours. The end result of this dynamic was human traffickers walking away with little consequence, free to continue their enterprise, and law enforcement agencies that shied away from launching such investigations.

But the FBI exhibiting a seemingly low amount of interest in human trafficking cases was a different matter altogether. As an apex law enforcement agency, they were not required by federal law to notify ICE in the same way that local or state agencies were required. The issues were much more complex with the FBI. The FBI was able to launch investigations on their own, thus ensuring a thorough investigation with proper charges would be possible for the perpetrators of such modern-day human slavery. Unfortunately, the FBI lacked the proper resources and ability to provide the short-term and intermediate safe shelter for the victims they and their informants rescued. The FBI was dependent on the U.S. Attorneys’ Office to designate the victims as witnesses before resources were available to the victims. This dependence on the U.S. Attorneys’ Office for short-term and intermediate resources seemed to be the clog preventing freedom and safety for many trafficking victims based on my research and the FBI agents and assistant U.S. attorneys I spoke with. Human traffickers often targeted illegal aliens who were already in the United States, or would kidnap and bring unwilling citizens from other countries across the United States’ porous border. Therefore, various types of visas would have to be made available for many victims if their testimony was needed to prosecute and neutralize the perpetrators of the slavery. However, other human trafficking victims were U.S. citizens who were either suffering from various addictions or were teenage runaways. Both Laster and I saw the same DOJ hesitancy to help in both groups.

Part of the solution to this clog in the system was addressed with the creation of various visas, such as the T-Visa and the U-Visa. These two visas were designed so that federal agents and other law enforcement agencies would have a mechanism to allow witnesses to stay in the United States to testify against the perpetrators of human trafficking by designating their presence as being necessary for an investigation. Unfortunately, law enforcement was rarely willing to sign the Law Enforcement Declaration form, which was necessary to document the victim’s cooperation and a vital part of the applications. Again, this hesitancy seemed due to law enforcement agency fears of lacking the needed resources to house and feed the victims—a conclusion based on Laster’s and my experiences and discussions we had with individuals from various law enforcement agencies. Once I presented my findings to Laster, we began to strategize on possible solutions to remove the clogs and better help the victims she was working with.

Uncovering the Horrors

We decided to reach out to the now-deceased Andrew Breitbart. In short order, Breitbart, Catherine Engelbrecht of True the Vote, Hannah Giles and I created a nonprofit named Citizen Patriot Response to organize tea party groups to help communities and individuals in need without governmental funding and dependence. Though the organization was not founded solely for helping human trafficking victims, the issue was a top priority. My home was quickly turned into a shelter for human trafficking victims under the auspices of the newly formed nonprofit. The idea was that my home could provide the short-term and intermediate shelter and food for the victims. This would hopefully make possible more investigations on the part of the FBI. We had intended for this shelter, coupled with my advocacy and lobbying on behalf of victims to the FBI, to provide a model for how citizens could organize and unite to help law enforcement bring justice to a greater number of human trafficking victims. Laster began to utilize this shelter as a refuge for the human trafficking victims she worked with. I began to use every possible relationship within the FBI to pressure the organization to take on more human trafficking investigations. Though my efforts were initially unfruitful, I did finally find a very caring FBI special agent, whom I will refer to as Special Agent X. Special Agent X began to dutifully examine the cases Laster and I presented. The forms necessary for the appropriate visa applications were signed in a number of our cases, and it appeared that justice was finally occurring with a little push from concerned citizens and a compassionate federal agent. I also asked Laster to become a human source for the FBI so that she could better assist the victims she represented and help initiate investigations when her network had information of new cases. Laster agreed and was opened by the FBI as a human source.

Laster and I presented dozens of cases to the FBI. Many of the cases involved minors who were being forced to have sex with adults for monetary reasons under the threat of violence from human traffickers. Special Agent X worked diligently to record our information and initiate investigations. Laster and I educated ourselves further on guidelines and protocols that the DOJ used in handling such cases. We felt assured by our research that it was a matter of law and a matter of internal policy that the FBI had to investigate and act on cases where minors were identified as being involved. All seemed well.

An Unwilling DOJ

But the majority of the cases we worked on with Special Agent X never turned into investigations for the FBI—even the ones involving children that the FBI was mandated to act on. Special Agent X was shipped to a different part of the United States and was forbidden to work on human trafficking issues any further, even though the guidelines had been followed. I was deactivated without cause (meaning in good standing). As of press time, the new special agent assigned to Laster returned her call but hasn’t communicated with her about the cases. Laster has also not been fully reimbursed by the FBI for time and expenses she incurred at its request.

I have since learned that, though I was correct on my initial analysis of the issues the FBI was having regarding human trafficking investigations, there were many other factors at play. ...

Want more? Order the August issue of Townhall Magazine to read the rest of Darby's report

 

BuzzNet Tags: criminal,doj,sex slaves,human trafficking,slave trade,Democrats,congress inaction,doj inaction

 

Technorati Tags: criminal,doj,sex slaves,human trafficking,slave trade,Democrats,congress inaction,doj inaction

Same-sex Marriage

May 14, 2012  by Kerby Anderson

Imagine this not so hypothetical scenario. You live in a country where marriage is
facing some ominous challenges. Nearly half of all marriages end in divorce. More than
40 percent of all births are to unwed mothers.. The breakdown of the family seems to be
increasing. Fatherless homes are becoming the norm rather than the exception.
In the midst of this marriage crisis, you would assume that pundits and politicians
would want to enact laws that strengthen marriage rather than weaken it. Unfortunately,
if you made that assumption here in America, you would be wrong.
Vice-President Joe Biden says he is fine with same-sex marriage. Education
Secretary Arne Duncan aggress. Nevertheless, the chattering class will continue to
promote the need for a redefinition of marriage in light of the vote Tuesday in North
Carolina to define marriage as one man and one woman.
Brace yourself for another round of columns, commentary, and speeches about
marriage rights for homosexuals. What won’t probably be mentioned is the fact the
legalizing same-sex marriage will not strengthen marriage but weaken it.
While I document this in detail in my book, A Biblical Point of View on
Homosexuality, let me summarize reams of research with a few quick points. First, we
don’t have to guess at the impact of legalizing same-sex marriage. We have had a social
experiment taking place in Europe for decades.
Stanley Kurtz (Hoover Institute), for example, documents that “marriage is
slowly dying in Scandinavia.” A majority of children in Sweden and Norway are born
out of wedlock, and sixty percent of first-born children in Denmark have unmarried
parents.. Kurtz has also documented that marriage is also in decline in the Netherlands.
Second, redefining marriage so that it is no longer defined as one man and one
woman open up just about any other combination. Polygamists are already using the
legalization of same-sex marriage in some states to argue for their redefined view of
marriage. And other proposed arrangements are on the horizon.
The conclusion is simple: if you want to strengthen marriage, you don’t redefine
that. Fortunately, most voters understand that even if many politicians and pundits do
not. I’m Kerby Anderson, and that’s my point of view.

Technorati Tags: Homosexuals,same-sex marraige,liberals,point-of-view,redefine marraige,out of wedlock

Mass Wedding of Child Brides Held in Gaza

Please read: Here is just another form of slavery but made worse for its pedophilia!

 

 Mass Wedding of Child Brides Held in Gaza

 

Mass Wedding of Child Brides Held in Gaza A picture is worth a thousand words, and the pictures below certainly qualify. It is difficult for many in the West to understand the culture of militant Islam. For instance, click here to view a news segment on MSNBC about the desperate plight of women under Islamic law in Afghanistan. This news segment could have been filmed in Iran, Saudi Arabia or any number of Islamic countries throughout the world. Most in the West know little about the life of Mohammed, the writings of the Qur’an, or the history of Islam. Most are unaware that Mohammed married a six year old girl and consummated the marriage when she was nine, or that he had eleven wives and numerous concubines. There is evidence that the number of Islamic child brides in Europe and England is increasing. Shariah courts and law are now officially recognized in cities across England, even as domestic abuse of Islamic women increases. We have seen reports that estimate there are now between 50,000 and 100,000 polygamous Muslim marriages in the U.S. As Europe and England have learned, radical Islamists have a different definition of “co-existing” than we do. “Co-existing” ultimately means our values, traditions and practices must give way to theirs. Practices like those in Afghanistan. Practices like those below. HAMAS PLAYS HOST TO PEDOPHILIA Muhammed married a six year old bride. But Islam has evolved in 1500 years. In Hamas land, in 2009, the brides are almost seven. Mass Muslim Marriage in Gaza 450 Grooms Wed GIRLS Under Ten In Gaza by Paul L. Williams, Ph.D. thelastcrusade.org A gala event has occurred in Gaza. Hamas sponsored a mass wedding for four hundred and fifty couples. Most of the grooms were in their mid to late twenties; most of brides were under ten. Muslim dignitaries including Mahmud Zahar, a leader of Hamas, were on hand to congratulate the couples who took part in the carefully staged celebration. "We are saying to the world and to America that you cannot deny us joy and happiness," Zahar told the grooms, all of whom were dressed in identical black suits and hailed from the nearby Jabalia refugee camp. [emphasis added] Each groom received a gift of 500 dollars from Hamas. The pre-pubescent girls, dressed in white gowns and adorned with garish make-up, received bridal bouquets. "We are presenting this wedding as a gift to our people who stood firm in the face of the siege and the war," local Hamas strongman Ibrahim Salaf said in a speech. The wedding photos tell the rest of the sordid tale. The International Center for Research on Women now estimates that there are 51 million child brides now living on planet earth and almost all in Muslim countries. Twenty-nine percent of these child brides are regularly beaten and molested by their husbands in Egypt; twenty six percent receive similar abuse in Jordan.. Every year, three million Muslim girls are subjected to genital mutilation, according to UNICEF. This practice has not been outlawed in many parts of America. The Islamic practice of pedophilia dates back to the prophet Muhammad, who amassed eleven wives and many concubines after the death of his first wife Khadijah in 619 A.D. Pedophilia was not only practiced by Muhammad but also sanctioned by the Quran. In its discussion of the waiting period required to determine if a wife is pregnant before divorce, the sacred text says, "If you are in doubt concerning those of your wives who have ceased menstruating, know that their waiting period shall be three months. The same shall apply to those who have not yet menstruated"(65:4). Those who think that modern Muslims have abandoned this teaching should study the pictures and videos that accompany this article and recall the words of Ayatollah Khomeini, the most famous Islamic cleric of the 20th Century:   A man can have sexual pleasure from a child as young as a baby. However, he should not penetrate; sodomizing the child is OK. If a man penetrates and damages the child, then he should be responsible for her subsistence all her life. This girl, however, does not count as one of his four permanent wives. The man will not be eligible to marry the girl's sister. . . It is better for a girl to marry in such a time when she would begin menstruation at her husband's house rather than her father's house. Any father marrying his daughter so young will have a permanent place in heaven. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Tahrirolvasyleh, volume 4 (Gom, Iran: Darol Elm, 1990), p. 186.