Full Breakdown
Federal Contract Awards to a Disgraced Anti-Sex-Trafficking NGO
8/11/2026, 9:46:14 PM
Federal Contract Awards to Our Rescue
On August 7, the Trump administration awarded Our Rescue a no-bid contract worth $244,034,658 to provide legal services for unaccompanied immigrant children in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The contract multiplies the organization’s 2025 assets—reported at $36.9 million—by roughly seven times. A separate no-bid award of $150 million went to the Texas-based Burke Law Group, which employs only 24 attorneys, two of whom specialize in immigration and asylum.
Background of the Organization and Prior Controversies
Founded as Operation Underground Railroad, the nonprofit gained national attention after the July 4 release of *Sound of Freedom*, a film dramatizing founder Tim Ballard’s alleged rescue work. Shortly thereafter, multiple former employees accused Ballard of sexual assault and trafficking during sting operations, describing a “couples ruse” in which he coerced participants to act as romantic partners while he assaulted them. The Department of Homeland Security did not verify Ballard’s claim of prior service, and law-enforcement officials reportedly viewed his stings as fundraising stunts. Ballard resigned; the current CEO, Derek Benner, a former senior official at Homeland Security Investigations, now leads the organization.
Scope of the Contract and Operational Capacity
The ORR cared for nearly 1,800 children in June and averaged about 1,908 children monthly over the prior year. Our Rescue’s 2024 annual report states it collaborated with 228 law-enforcement agencies, operated in all 50 states and 27 countries, conducted 195 rescue missions, and assisted in 1,969 arrests. The contract’s size raises questions about the nonprofit’s capacity to represent the estimated 26,000 children whose legal aid was jeopardized after the Trump administration halted payments to the Acacia Center for Justice.
Legal and Judicial Responses
U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín ordered the administration on August 6 to pay $65 million owed to the nonprofits by the following day, noting the government had failed to demonstrate a viable plan for representing vulnerable children. The judge also required a compliance report detailing ongoing legal-service provisions.
