U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced this week that a joint effort with international partners resulted in the arrest of over 100 alleged child predators.
In total, 113 alleged child predators are now in custody across the United States and South America as a result of phase seven of Operation Protected Childhood, according to a release on the ICE website.
“This collaborative effort by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations and its foreign law enforcement partners has put dangerous criminals behind bars and, most importantly, has led to the rescue of innocent children,” ICE attaché for Brazil and Bolivia, Robert Fuentes Jr., said in a statement. “Thank you to our Brazilian partners for their unwavering efforts over the last five years to combat child exploitation through Operation Protected Childhood. And to our partners who have most recently joined our operation, we look forward to the continued fight and relentless effort to put a stop to this horrific crime.”
Part of the domestic aspect of the operation involved the execution of a federal arrest warrant on a suspect for “the production, transportation, and possession of child pornography” in North Carolina, as well as a search warrant in Tennessee “concerning the accessing of child exploitation Darknet websites.”
A San Fernando Valley, California, resident accused of distributing child pornography via direct messages on Twitter was also arrested during the operation.
“ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE; TTY for hearing impaired: (802) 872-6196,” the agency’s website reads. “This hotline is staffed around-the-clock by investigators.”
