(2018 release) Tim Ballard & Team Rescue 28 Children in Haiti in 2014. A Must Watch Documentary! 'OPERATION TOUSSAINT' (by 22-time Emmy Winner) "Nick Nanton"

Three Tim Ballard Documentaries Were Made In Addition To Sound Of Freedom

Before the Sound of Freedom cast and crew recreated Tim Ballard's story for the big screen, three documentaries were made about his life.

The 1st one was released in 2016 and was called The Abolitionists. Darrin Fletcher and Chet Thomas directed the documentary, which featured footage from one of Operation Underground Railroad's sting operations in Columbia, led by Ballard. Following the release of the documentary, the filmmakers decided to continue their project as a television series and produced seven episodes that each focused on different sex trafficking operations.

The 2nd documentary about Ballard's story, Operation Toussaint, came out in 2018. Nick Nanton directed Operation Toussaint, which documented an undercover mission, run by Ballard and O.U.R., to bring down a sex trafficking ring in Haiti.

The 3rd and final documentary, Operation Triple Take, was released in 2020 and directed by Nanton. So with three documentaries and one feature film about his life out in the world, Ballard is in the spotlight more than ever before.

"Tim Ballard left his post as a special agent for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to form Operation Underground Railroad and go undercover to rescue child sex trafficking victims that he couldn't save when bound by government restrictions. Join Tim and his special forces team as they go undercover in Haiti to bring a ring of sex traffickers who bribed their way out of jail, to justice."

- DNA Films

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Rescue Update: Operation Voo Doo Doll in Haiti (Jun 9, 2014)

The following are excerpts from an interview with Founder and CEO of O.U.R. Tim Ballard on his recent visit to Haiti to check up on the 28 children he and the “Jump Team” rescued in February (2014).

Q: You just went to Haiti right and checked up on those children you rescued in February. Can you give us an update?

A: Yes. To see these kids, they’re totally happy now. They were just shattered before, and now they’re not. After just two months there, we can see physically they’re getting fed. They’re being taken care of. They’re licensed, and it’s a pretty nice facility where they’re at.

Q: Are there any of them that will be returned to their parents?

A: No. None of the parents have been found. In most cases, they probably wouldn’t be. But, we don’t know about all of them. They’re still looking into some of them. Half the kids went to one orphanage and half went to the other one. They’re (the orphanage) still looking into the whereabouts of the kids and a lot of it is still tied to the investigation which is still pending. The women are in jail still. That’s just part of the process. So, we’ve had a lot of people interested in adopting these kids, so we’re working with adoption agencies, and there’re several families who really want to get these kids.

Q: I heard you were interested in adopting two of these children. Can you tell me about that?

A: Yes. We’re one of those families. The hold-up right now is that they’re tied up with the investigation so once there’s a sentencing of the women and the cases are over, the kids become adoptable. When I was down there, I met with the head officer who runs all adoptions in Haiti, a very high level person, and she was so gracious, and she knew exactly who we were and about the operation. She’s going to help us. We consider adoption part of the rehab process, too, if we can get these kids into homes.

Q: So the child you’re holding in the picture, is he the one you want to adopt?

A. Yes, him and his sister.

Q: And how old are they?

A: Three and four.

Q: And what is their story? I mean, where are their parents?

A: The story the traffickers gave us is that they are both dead. They were killed in a murder/suicide, but that’s something they would say anyway. That’s what they (law enforcement) are investigating right now. But unless they can find the parents, or find that there are no parents, or find the parents and they say that they can’t take care of them, then they are not adoptable. So right now they are working on tracking this. And we’re still heavily involved with the operation in Haiti. We’re closing in on some of the traffic organizations. That’s one of our next sting operations that we plan.

Q: If someone wanted to adopt one of these children, what would they do?

A: I would send them to our web site at OURrescue.org and we can connect them with the adoption agencies.

Q: A lot of people ask what they can do to help. Is this something you would like to see them do?

A: This is something we want to start a chain reaction with. Do you want to help? Do you have space and means to take one of these kids in?

Q: Do they speak English or French?

A. They speak Creole and a little French, maybe. They learn English real fast. Actually, in the place we have them, they teach them English.

Q: So the three women are in jail?

A: Actually, there are two. The other woman is an undercover cop.

Q: What is the latest on that?

A: It’s in the judicial process. They do hearings, and they’re investigating.

Q: Do you have to go back for any of that?

A: I might have to go back and testify.

Q: Do you have any upcoming rescues planned?

A: We have several, but we can’t really give any details. We have one in Guatemala…We have two in Colombia we’re working on. Another Haiti one. And then we have several in Mexico that we’re working on.

For more information or to help with the cause, please visit ourrescue.org

Interview by Cheryl L. Karr

This is the documentary showing Tim Ballard and his team rescuing children in Haiti. This is a must watch!

VIDEO SOURCE: https://rumble.com/v2yodxg-child-rescue-in-haiti-tim-ballard-documentary-operation-underground-railroa.html

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Mission to bust traffickers at Haiti orphanage affects Utah man profoundly
By Kathryn May | Posted - July 22, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY — Timothy Ballard has been busting child traffickers and rescuing children for years, first as a U.S. agent and now as the founder of a non-profit.

But a sting in Haiti affected him in a way he never expected.

After learning about Operation Underground Railroad and its efforts to fight child trafficking, I wanted to get involved. I organized a fundraiser for them and they later invited me along for a rare opportunity: a trip to Haiti, where I got a firsthand look at the good they are doing.

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Eighty percent of its 10 million people live in poverty.

"Murders happen all the time, kidnappings happen all the time. The police can't even respond," Ballard said.

I traveled to this Caribbean nation with Ballard and his jump team at Operation Underground Railroad and got a firsthand look at their efforts to fight child slavery.

"It's one of the largest trafficking areas on earth," he said.

In a country where orphanages are filled to the max, hundreds of thousands of kids are forced into slave labor.

"It's like, 'Oh my gosh, we are in South Carolina in 1840,'" he said.

Ballard's team first came to Haiti in February 2014 trying to help Guesno Mardy find his son.

Gardy Mardy, an American born in St. George, Utah, was kidnapped outside an LDS church building in Haiti just a few weeks before the 2010 earthquake. The 2-and-a-half-year-old was held for ransom. His parents paid everything they could, but the child was never returned.

"All of us are convinced in Haiti that he's still there, but where?" Guesno Mardy said.

A police tip led Ballard to an illegal orphanage run by Yvrose Pressoir.

"This place was hellacious. You wouldn't let your dog live in this place."
–Timothy Ballard

"This place was hellacious. You wouldn't let your dog live in this place," he said.

They found 28 children malnourished, dehydrated, and living in filth, with babies lying in feces from several days before.

"It was sickening. All my guys talk about it. We wanted to cry. We wanted to throw up," he said. "When we walked in there, there was a guy walking around with a belt. The kids later told us, 'He beats us up,'" he said.

Gardy wasn't here, but Ballard says Pressoir quickly offered to sell him a child. Ballard says he felt drawn to a 3- and 4-year-old brother and sister. So, working with Haitian authorities, Ballard's team set up a sting.

They purchased the two kids for $15,000 apiece.

Just minutes after the cash was exchanged, police arrived on the scene.

They arrested Pressoir, who was sent to prison for selling children.

The 28 kids were rescued and relocated to reputable orphanages.

More than a year later, we visited those kids and found them looking healthier and happier. They told us they now have hope — hope that they'll one day be adopted.

Rescuing these children left an unexpected impact on this former U.S. agent.

"I've been involved in dozens of these type of rescue operations, but I never felt like I needed to take one of these kids home. But this Haiti operation was so different," Ballard said.

"I never felt like I needed to take one of these kids home. But this Haiti operation was so different."
–Timothy Ballard

He and his wife Katherine Ballard have six children, but they hope their family will soon include two more. They are in the process of adopting the brother and sister who were purchased in the orphanage bust.

"I just felt so close to those kids, I don't know why," he said.

Ballard hopes more of these kids will find loving homes.

"I imagine there are so many families that if they knew that there were these precious little children that just want to be loved," he said. "People just need to see this so they can do something."

Guesno Mardy still walks the streets of Haiti hoping to find his son. It's been five-and-a-half years and Gardy would be 8 now. But he's not giving up, and neither is Ballard.

"I think we're close," he said. "We're closer than anyone's ever been."

Ballard now believes Gardy was trafficked to a labor camp, where children are used as slaves cutting sugar cane. His team is making preparations to bust up that camp and hopefully bring Gardy home.

There are only 18 U.S. adoption agencies licensed to do adoptions in Haiti. One of them is Wasatch International Adoptions right here in Utah. https://www.ksl.com/article/35610894/mission-to-bust-traffickers-at-haiti-orphanage-affects-utah-man-profoundly