News report on Child Exploitation Investigation Unit efforts earns Emmy

WASHINGTON — A local news report on the efforts of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to rescue children from child predators earned an Emmy Award June 14.

The report, which aired on CBS network affiliate station WUSA 9 in Washington, D.C., May 29, 2013, focused on the work of the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit with HSI's Cyber Crimes Center.

It highlighted multiple investigations of the unit's Victim Identification Program, and featured ways investigators use cutting-edge technology to help rescue victims. For instance, in one case HSI special agents used a highway sign in the background of a photo depicting the exploitation of a child to pinpoint a victim's location and eventually stage a successful rescue.

The Emmy Award-winning report can be viewed here.

The Child Exploitation Investigations Unit is a powerful tool in ICE's fight against the sexual exploitation of children, including the production, advertisement and distribution of child pornography and child sex tourism. The unit uses sophisticated investigative techniques to target violators who operate on the Internet, including the use of websites, email, chat rooms and file-sharing applications.

The Victim Identification Program is responsible for HSI victim identification efforts in relation to the sexual exploitation of minors. The program focuses on identifying and rescuing children who have been depicted in child abuse material.

Learn more about Cyber Crimes Center and its Child Exploitation Investigations Unit here.