Each year, millions of children fall prey to sexual predators. These young victims are left with permanent psychological, physical, and emotional scars. ICE targets and investigates child pornographers, child sex tourists and facilitators, human smugglers and traffickers of minors, criminal aliens convicted of offenses against minors and those deported for child exploitation offenses who have returned illegally.
Seeking to end this criminal activity and protect children worldwide, ICE developed Operation Predator, an initiative to identify, investigate and arrest child predators and sexual offenders. Operation Predator draws on ICE's unique investigative and enforcement authorities to safeguard children.
Coordinated nationally and internationally, Operation Predator brings together an array of ICE disciplines and resources to target these child sex abusers. As part of the effort:
ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around-the-clock by investigators.
Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may also be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.
About ICE membership in the Virtual Global TaskforceThe Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) is made up of law enforcement agencies from around the world working together to fight child abuse online. VGT aims to build an effective, international partnership of law enforcement agencies that helps to protect children from online child abuse.
VGT strives to make the Internet a safer place, identify, locate and help children at risk and hold perpetrators accountable.
The VGT comprises the Australian High Tech Crime Centre, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre in the UK, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the US Department of Homeland Security, Italian Postal and Communication Police Service, and Interpol.
Resources and reporting information are available at www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com.
5/10/2012 Dayton, OH Ohio man sentenced for possession of child pornography
5/9/2012 Milwaukee, WI Wisconsin man pleads guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor in Belize
5/8/2012 San Juan, PR Puerto Rican school bus driver sentenced to 17 years in prison for production of child pornography
5/8/2012 Harrisburg, PA Pennsylvania couple sentenced on child exploitation, pornography charges
5/8/2012 Mexico City, International US-Mexican law enforcement cooperation results in 29 year prison sentence for child pornographer
5/8/2012 Boise, ID Idaho man admits possessing sexual images of toddlers