US Marshals recover 35 missing Massachusetts kids ahead of World Cup

Flint McColgan, Boston Herald on Jun 11, 2026

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BOSTON — The U.S. Marshals Service in Massachusetts, partnered with local police agencies, recovered 35 “high-risk missing children” in “Operation Yellow Card” ahead of the FIFA World Cup.

“The upcoming FIFA World Cup is a monumental event for Massachusetts, but large-scale international gatherings historically bring a heightened risk of predatory exploitation targeting our communities’ most vulnerable youth,” said Dennis Matulewicz, acting U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts.

“Operation Yellow Card represents our unyielding commitment to intercepting these threats and securing endangered children before they can be pulled into networks of trafficking and abuse,” Matulewicz continued. “This operation’s early success in recovering 35 high-risk missing children is a direct result of the extraordinary, seamless cooperation between the U.S. Marshals Service and our outstanding state, local, and federal law enforcement partners across Massachusetts.”

Authorities say that “Operation Yellow Card” anticipated the hundreds of thousands of international visitors to Greater Boston for the games beginning later this month.

While the operation is still ongoing, the Marshals Service says that 35 missing Massachusetts children have been recovered from as far away as Georgia and Texas and have been reunited with their family members or placed in protective services. The operation has also led to kidnapping and human trafficking investigations.

“Every missing and vulnerable young person deserves safety and security and to be given the opportunity to live free from the threat of exploitation. Human traffickers prey on our most vulnerable, targeting those who are often isolated or in crisis,” said Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble.

Local district attorneys also spoke about the efforts:

Plymouth DA Timothy Cruz: “Locating missing and endangered children does not come and go with an international soccer tournament; it is an issue facing our youth year-round.

Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden: “We are proud to work with our federal and state partners to make it clear to anyone with any intent of trafficking child victims or engaging in sexual contact with child victims that you will be arrested and you will be prosecuted. The World Cup is bringing enormous benefits to our region, but it also brings the possibility of child exploitation.”

The operation was made possible, the Marshals Service says, by its special statutory authority granted under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015. Since then, the Marshals Service says it has “directly contributed to the location or recovery of more than 5,100 missing children nationwide as of mid-2026.”

The U.S. Marshals Service encourages anyone with information regarding missing or exploited children to immediately contact local law enforcement or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678).