Tim Ballard
Tim Ballard is an American anti-human trafficking activist and former Special Agent with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Over a decade with DHS, he worked on the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, conducting undercover operations to dismantle child sex trafficking rings in the United States and abroad as part of the U.S. Child Sex Tourism Jump Team.[1] In 2013, Ballard founded Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.), a nonprofit organization aimed at rescuing victims of child sex trafficking through collaboration with international law enforcement and direct intervention operations. Under his leadership as CEO, O.U.R. claimed to have supported numerous rescues and arrests worldwide, emphasizing a model that extended beyond governmental limitations he encountered in his federal role. His experiences formed the basis for the 2023 film Sound of Freedom, which dramatized efforts to combat child trafficking and achieved significant box office success. Ballard also authored books detailing his work and established The Nazarene Fund to aid persecuted communities, including Christian minorities.[1][2][3] Ballard resigned from O.U.R. on June 22, 2023, and permanently separated from the organization following an internal investigation into complaints from multiple employees alleging sexual misconduct during undercover missions, including inappropriate advances and coercion under the guise of operational necessity. Ballard has vehemently denied these allegations, describing them as false and part of a smear campaign against his anti-trafficking efforts, and has pursued legal responses asserting the claims lack merit. The organization rebranded as Our Rescue and continued operations without his involvement, while Ballard maintained he remains committed to rescue work independently.[4][5][6]