Attorney General Lynn Fitch discusses issues the state is facing

GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV)-Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch visited the Coast Thursday morning. She joined the Gulf Coast Business Council breakfast to discuss issues the state is facing.

Issues discussed ranged from immigration to protecting children in the Magnolia State. One subject discussed included the Walker Montgomery Act, passed in 2024.

The act is named after a Starkville teen who took his life following a sextortion event.

Fitch told WXXV News 25 what agencies are doing to keep children safe from something similar happening. “ICAC is the Internet Crimes Against Children. We run that task force, we have over 80 law enforcement partners across our state. We’re constantly looking for child exploitation. How do we find those predators, how do we find those criminals, and most importantly how do we protect those children? Every picture, every video is a child. We have received just last year over 6,300 tips about children in exploitation situations. We have been actively trying to find those children, protect those children and move forward. That’s 1000 more tips than we received last year.”

Another issue discussed was human trafficking and fentanyl in the state.

Fitch said that oftentimes the two issues go hand-in-hand. “Human trafficking is on the forefront in our state, in our country. It’s combined with the fentanyl. Every time we do a takedown and rescue individuals, we find drugs, we find weapons. It’s a horrific industry across the globe, in our country, and in our state. I think we have to be mindful there are traffic victims out there right now. My encouragement is if anyone sees someone, they think is a victim – call us. You could be saving a life. We rescued over 330 victims in the state in the last couple of years, 25 were minors. It’s horrific, it’s heartbreaking.”

Other items discussed today include bills that take cell phones out of the classroom and a bill that teaches kids financial education skills.