OPERATION PREDATOR and the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT)
Each year, millions of children fall prey to sexual predators. These young victims are left with permanent psychological, physical, and emotional scars. U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (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.
www.ice.gov/predator
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.
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner
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 has created a National Child Victim Identification System in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Department of Justice, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces and other agencies.
- ICE agents stationed internationally work with foreign governments, Interpol and others to enhance coordination and cooperation on crimes that cross borders.
- ICE is a member of the Virtual Global Taskforce, joining law enforcement agencies around the world to fight child exploitation information and images that travel over the Internet.
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.