Page 5 - AT

A5
U.S. NEWS Friday 15 November 2019

$ 10

Data shows upswing in child exploitation cases

By COLLEEN LONG The idea stemmed from a
Associated Press pilot program in California
WASHINGTON (AP) — Gov- in 2007. Investigators start-
ernment investigators who ed using state sex offender
uncover child exploitation registries and federal data
initiated more than 4,000 to alert other countries
cases around the world in when those registered trav-
the 2019 budget year, re- eled.
sulting in thousands of ar- President Barack Obama
rests and the identification signed a law in February
of more than 1,000 victims, 2016 mandating notifica-
according to data ob- tion when registered sex
tained by The Associated offenders traveled. The
Press. notice doesn’t impede le-
The caseloads are growing gal travel, but it does give
because of the ease with countries a heads-up, es-
which offenders can post pecially in locations where
graphic images of children child sex tourism and abuse
online. are rampant, officials said.
“With the dark web on ICE’s acting director, Matt
there, the content is be- Albence, said Thursday that
coming more prevalent in one instance, a notifica-
and more horrific,” said tion was sent to the United
Matt Wright, the chief for In this Aug. 1, 2016 file photo, children are silhouetted against the setting sun as they run on the Kingdom that a registered
the Child Exploitation Inves- sand at Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. sex offender from Wash-
tigations Unit at Homeland Associated Press ington was headed there.
Security Investigations. When that individual was
HSI is a division of U.S. Im- vision, which oversees the as HSI’s parent, the Depart- tims identified, according inspected at the border,
migration and Customs unit working on combating ment of Homeland Secu- to the data. he was discovered with
Enforcement tasked with child exploitation. “We do rity, remains focused on im- On Thursday, officials un- child abuse imagery, and
investigations, not immigra- criminal investigations with migration enforcement. veiled a new center based he’d been traveling to the
tion enforcement. Agents customs and immigration Agents and investigators at ICE’s Washington head- U.K. to take part in a youth
work on investigations in- authorities — anything that initiated 4,224 child exploi- quarters and tasked with cheerleading camp as an
volving money, drug smug- comes in and out of the tation cases that resulted in alerting other countries instructor.
gling or child sex trafficking. border.” 3,771 arrests and identifica- when U.S. sex offenders are He was deported and his
“While we are within ICE, The numbers from Oct. 1, tion of 1,066 victims. traveling there. The center devices were confiscated,
our primary function is as 2018, to this past Sept. 30 The previous two budget will include representatives Albence said. The search
criminal investigators,” said are higher overall than for years each saw about from the U.S. Marshals of- turned up more than 7,000
Joanna Ip, assistant direc- the previous few years, ac- 4,000 investigations but fice and U.S. Customs and instances of child abuse im-
tor of the agency’s cyberdi- cording to the data, even lower arrests and fewer vic- Border Protection. ages and videos.q

Oklahoma governor digs in on

gambling showdown with tribes

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — tribes broke down late last cally renew for another 15-
Oklahoma’s new Repub- month and he wanted year term on Jan. 1 if the
lican governor doubled to present his case to the two sides can’t reach an
down Thursday on his posi- Oklahoma people. agreement. Stitt suggested
tion that the state’s gam- “The fact of the matter is the state’s current rate of
bling compacts with Indian they have refused to com- between 4% and 10% of
tribes expire at the end of municate with me,” Stitt tribal gambling revenue
the year, setting up a po- said. “This is going to cause should be larger. Tribal
tential legal showdown extreme uncertainty if we leaders have said they’re
with some of the state’s don’t have a new com- willing to renegotiate the
most powerful entities. pact before Jan. 1, 2020.” rates, but not until Stitt ac- Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt gestures to a sign which addresses
Gov. Kevin Stitt said at The two sides disagree over knowledges the compacts the renewal of Tribal Gaming Compacts during a news confer-
ence Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019, in Oklahoma City.
a press conference that the key issue of whether automatically renew if a Associated Press
communications with the the compacts automati- deal can’t be reached.q