Deputies raided an Iowa church and removed 88 children from a Bible study camp as part of a massive human trafficking investigation, police said Monday.
According to police reports, the children have been placed in the care of local agencies after being removed from the Kingdom Ministry of Rehab and Recreation’s Shekinah Glory Camp.
Deputies executing search warrants removed the children over the weekend and transported them to the nearby Wapello Methodist Church to meet with child protection workers, according to deputies.
The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services placed the children in temporary foster care until they could be reunited with their parents or guardians, deputies said.
The summer camp was hosted by the Kingdom Ministry of Rehabilitation and Recreation, which was founded in 2018. It ran from June 8 to 29.
According to local reports, the family behind the Columbus Junction camp’s ministry denied the allegations.
“What we try to do is, we take care of adults and children who are under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or nicotine,” Victor Bawi, the ministry’s parents, told the outlet.
“The adults and children, we take care of them, we provide food for them. The children we separate from the adults. We separate the boys and girls. We care for them, we provide for them.”
Bawi stated that no children were ever in danger or harmed.
Deputies executed search warrants in several locations, including Columbus Junction, where the camp was taking place, and Fredonia, less than two miles away, where the church helps people find housing.
The Louisa County Sheriff’s Office stated that the operation was carried out in collaboration with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Columbus Junction Police Department.
The investigation is ongoing.
Read More – San Antonio Man Sentenced to Life for Brutal and Violent Murder in Junction
