In a significant human trafficking investigation, law enforcement officials in Iowa have taken into protective custody 88 children who were attending a Bible study camp. The children were removed from the Shekinah Glory Camp, operated by the Kingdom Ministry of Rehab and Recreation, and are now under the care of local agencies, according to police statements and local news reports.
The operation took place over the weekend, with deputies executing search warrants and transporting the children to the nearby Wapello Methodist Church. Here, they met with child protection workers. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services has since placed the children in temporary foster care, with plans to reunite them with their parents or guardians.
The Kingdom Ministry of Rehabilitation and Recreation, established in 2018, was hosting the summer camp from June 8 to June 29. The family who runs the ministry and the camp in Columbus Junction has denied any allegations of wrongdoing. Victor Bawi, whose parents operate the ministry, told local media that their mission is to care for adults and children affected by substance abuse, providing food and care.
Bawi suggested that the investigation was triggered by a disgruntled teenager from Texas who did not want to attend the camp. He insisted that no children were ever in danger or harmed, and that the camp, attended by Christian teenagers from across the country, provided a safe and nurturing environment.
Deputies executed search warrants at several locations, including the camp in Columbus Junction and a location less than two miles away in Fredonia, where the church assists people in finding housing. The operation was coordinated with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Columbus Junction Police Department. The investigation is still ongoing.
The church is led by two pastors from Burma, members of the Chin ethnic minority. Iowa has become a refuge for thousands fleeing the world’s longest-running civil war, and has one of the largest Burmese populations in the Midwest. Many of these refugees work at the Tyson’s Food Inc. meat packing plant in Columbus Junction, which employs translators and is responsible for slaughtering 2% of the nation’s hogs each year.