Tim Ballard, the former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agent and founder of Our Rescue, who inspired the hit film Sound of Freedom, has indicated his potential candidacy for a Senate seat in Utah.
This comes in the wake of Mitt Romney's recent announcement that he will not be seeking a second term in office.
Ballard's revelation came during his guest appearance on the Sean Spicer Show. "I keep getting phone calls from people," he shared, suggesting that Romney's decision to step down has made it easier for him to contemplate running for the Senate seat. Before Romney's announcement, Ballard had already been "very seriously considering it."
Following the success of Sound of Freedom, Ballard's voice has become increasingly prominent in the chorus of critics against President Biden's border policies. As a former DHS agent who pursued child traffickers and human smugglers, and the founder of a non-profit dedicated to rescuing children, Ballard offers a unique perspective on the repercussions of ineffective border policies.
In a candid address to Congress, Ballard did not shy away from discussing his experiences and the federal government's responsibility. "Our federal agents who work in the southern border are women and men of the highest integrity, dedication," Ballard stated during the hearing.
Despite the agents' "hard work and success," Ballard made it "vividly clear" that "US border security and broken US policy are feeding the growth of human trafficking in the United States."
He elaborated on this by highlighting the lack of physical barriers at the border. "I have personally seen how ports of entry were responsible for helping rescue a child, catch a sexual predator and start a chain of events that rescue multiple children," Ballard explained. However, he also shared stories of survivors trafficked by cartels exploiting the unprotected stretches of the US border.
Ballard recounted the harrowing tale of a young woman trafficked across an unprotected border area, sold, and sexually abused up to 30 to 40 times a day for five years before she managed to escape. She confided in Ballard that had her captors been forced to cross at a port of entry, she might have had a better chance of rescue.
Later in the hearing, Ballard made a damning statement, declaring that "as a result of this administration's current policies, DHS and HHS have unwittingly become a child trafficking delivery service."
The protagonist of Sound of Freedom, portrayed by Jim Cavaziel, is based on Ballard. The film, which was released earlier this summer, has enjoyed box office success.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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