What major FBI operations targeting child sex trafficking occurred after Christopher Wray left and David Patel became FBI director?
Executive summary
After Christopher Wray left and Kash (David in the query) Patel became FBI director, the bureau mounted at least two large, named child-sex-trafficking efforts widely reported in the available sources: Operation Restore Justice — a five‑day nationwide May 2025 crackdown that rescued 115 children and led to 205 arrests — and the recurring Operation Cross Country campaigns that have repeatedly recovered dozens to hundreds of child victims (for example, Operation Cross Country located 59 minor victims and found more than 200 victims in a January 2024 sweep) [1] [2].
1. What the records say: two major, named nationwide operations
The Justice Department and FBI press accounts in the record identify Operation Restore Justice (May 2025) as a coordinated, five‑day, all‑55‑field‑office effort that resulted in 115 children rescued and 205 child sexual‑abuse offenders arrested [1] [3]. Separately, the FBI’s long‑running Operation Cross Country series — a recurring nationwide enforcement campaign focused on child sex trafficking — was credited in January 2024 with locating 59 minor victims of trafficking and contributing to more than 200 victims identified in that sweep and related enforcement actions [2] [4].
2. Scale and scope: what those numbers mean in practice
Operation Restore Justice was executed across all 55 field offices and involved the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, with field offices reporting local arrests and victim recoveries as part of the same coordinated five‑day push [3] [5]. Operation Cross Country combines FBI field offices, state and local partners and NCMEC; its January 2024 iteration was described as the 13th year of the campaign and involved nearly every field office in locating dozens of minors and hundreds of overall victims or leads [2].
3. Continuity vs. change: programs that predate and continue after leadership turnover
These initiatives are not new inventions of any single director; both Operation Cross Country and other child‑exploitation task‑force work (CEHTTFs / VCAC programs) are longstanding FBI programs described in agency testimony and pages predating leadership changes [6] [7]. The sources show continuity: the FBI’s CEHTTF framework and the Violent Crimes Against Children program underpin repeated nationwide actions regardless of who occupies the director’s office [6] [7].
4. How the bureau describes partnerships and victim care
FBI materials emphasize interagency coordination and victim services: operations use Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Forces, partner with state/local law enforcement and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and deploy victim specialists to provide immediate services [2] [7]. The Justice Department releases also highlight outreach and community reporting as factors leading to arrests and rescues [3].
5. Political context and leadership scrutiny that could shape perception
Reporting in the provided sources documents significant controversy around Director Kash Patel’s tenure — including personnel changes, questions about use of agency resources, and internal and external criticism — all of which create context for how bureau actions are framed publicly even as operational programs continue [8] [9] [10]. Available sources do not directly tie operational outcomes (rescues/arrests in these campaigns) to policy changes instituted by Patel; they instead document the operations and separately report on leadership disputes [1] [8].
6. What the sources do not say or cannot confirm
Available sources do not mention any major new, uniquely named child‑sex‑trafficking initiatives launched only after Wray left other than the documented 2025 Operation Restore Justice and continuing Cross Country operations [1] [2]. They also do not provide analysis in these press releases tying changes in arrest totals or victim recoveries causally to the change in directors; causal attributions are not present in the cited FBI and DOJ materials [2] [3].
7. Competing narratives and how to read them
The FBI/DOJ materials present these operations as accomplishments of coordinated law enforcement work and victim recovery [1] [3]. Independent reporting in the dataset, however, emphasizes turmoil and politicization surrounding Patel’s leadership — stories that can affect public confidence and oversight questions even when operational work continues [8] [9]. Readers should treat operational statistics reported by the agencies as documented results, while recognizing that leadership controversy is covered separately in the sources and may influence perceptions and future oversight [3] [8].
Limitations: my account is limited to the documents and press pieces you provided. I cite only those sources; broader reporting or classified internal assessments are not available here and therefore not included.