Washington, D.C. – Rep. Beth Van Duyne spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives today to honor Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn for his role in taking down 115 human trafficking felons. To watch her remarks click here.

Full remarks as prepared:

Madam Speaker,

I rise today to honor Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn and his deputies. Earlier this month, Sheriff Waybourn announced the weeks-long investigation, known as Operation Buyer Beware, which focused on the demand driving human trafficking. 
 
Together, Texas DPS, Fort Worth Police, Arlington Police, and the Department of Homeland Security successfully arrested a total of 115 men over the course of one week, many of them repeat offenders. Those arrested were attempting to solicit sex from minors. 
 
With this operation, the Tarrant County Sheriff has sent a signal to offenders in the community that these acts of harm and violence will not be tolerated. The Sheriff’s department stepped up to take advantage of the recent legal changes to state law that will increase jail time for solicitation.
 
We applaud our law enforcement and those dedicated to keeping Texas-24 safe. Thank you, Sheriff Bill Waybourn and Tarrant County Law Enforcement, for executing this operation and making strides to protect our community. 
 
I yield back. 

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