43 people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit said.
The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals accused of running human-trafficking rings during the World Cup.
Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit, said, "The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners."
Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported by the NYPD's new Gender-Based Violence Police and Planning Unit, which provides an array of social services to the victims, including food, housing and counseling.
The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway.
An NYPD official said, "We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations."
Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup and coordinated preparations with local, state and federal law enforcement; the matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada, and eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday. Marcus said, "When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry."
Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri, and nationally the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reported more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued during the World Cup.