Cyber Crimes Center
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the largest investigative agency in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), protects national security by enforcing the nation's immigration and customs laws. One of ICE's leading priorities is to combat criminal activity conducted on or facilitated by the Internet.
The ICE Cyber Crimes Center (C3) delivers computer-based technical services to ICE components to support domestic and international investigations into cross-border crime.
The Cyber Crimes Section, the Child Exploitation Section, the Computer Forensics Section and the Cyber Administration Section comprise C3. This state-of-the-art center offers cyber-crime support and training to federal, state, local and international law enforcement agencies. C3 also includes a fully equipped computer forensics laboratory, which specializes in digital evidence recovery. In addition, C3 offers training in computer investigative and forensic skills.
Cyber Crimes Section
C3's Cyber Crimes Section manages the cyber component of traditional immigration and customs investigations. C3 special agents conduct and coordinate national level investigations involving the Internet. Those investigations focus on the following areas:
- Identity and benefit document fraud;
- Money laundering;
- Financial fraud (including e-payment fraud and Internet gambling);
- Commercial fraud;
- Counter-proliferation investigations;
- Narcotics trafficking;
- Illegal exports;
- Human trafficking and smuggling; and
- General smuggling.
Child Exploitation Section
C3 is a powerful tool in the fight against the sexual exploitation of children; the production, advertisement and distribution of child pornography; and child sex tourism.
C3's Child Exploitation Section uses sophisticated investigative techniques to target violators who operate on the Internet, including the use of websites, email, chat rooms and file-sharing applications.
Major initiatives include the following:
- Operation Predator: ICE's flagship investigative initiative for targeting sexual predators, child pornographers and child sex tourists.
- The National Child Victim Identification System: This system was developed to assist law enforcement agencies in identifying victims of child sexual exploitation.
- The Virtual Global Taskforce: An international alliance of law enforcement agencies working together to fight online child exploitation and abuse.
In addition, ICE has partnered with other agencies (including the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces), foreign law enforcement agencies and non-governmental organizations (such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children). These partnerships have enabled C3 to successfully investigate leads and assist in identifying violators and associates all over the world.
Computer Forensics Section
As the use of computers and digital devices has become widespread, C3's Computer Forensics Section has grown to address the investigative challenges of a digital world. These devices have greatly increased the volume of data that ICE agents must examine during the course of an investigation. In addition, ICE investigators now must now manage digital evidence that is highly volatile, mobile and subject to encryption by any user. This makes recovery and stewardship of evidence challenging.
Computer forensics agents are ICE investigators trained to perform forensic examinations of seized digital storage devices, such as computer hard drives, flash drives, PDAs, mobile phones, DVDs, CDs and tape media. They use all available digital evidence recovery techniques to preserve an item's authenticity and integrity while maintaining a strict chain of custody.
Computer forensics agents are located in ICE field offices throughout the world to provide expertise on investigative strategies and to assist case agents in preparing search warrants targeting digital evidence. They are also called upon to furnish expert computer forensic testimony in criminal trials and to provide support to state and local law enforcement.
Cyber Administration Section
The Cyber Administration Section handles day to day administrative functions at C3, such as:
- Scheduling of C3 visitors and dignitaries
- Physical security and access control
- Contract Management
- Packaging of developed training courses
- Travel and Logistics
- Field Psychological Assessments
- Self Inspections
- Safety/Office of Safety & Health (OSHA)
- Property Inventory and Maintenance
- Vehicle/Fleet Maintenance
Psychological Suitability Assessment Program
The Cyber Administration Section manages the Psychological Suitability Assessment Program by coordinating written tests and psychological interviews of ICE federal employees who are exposed to child exploitation material during investigations. These tests and interviews help assess the psychological state of each employee and their ability to continue in that same line of work.
Emergency Psychological Referrals Program
This program is available to field agents or other employees that are under serious psychological distress and need immediate attention due to being exposed to child exploitation material as part of their job. Affected employees should report their situation to their supervisor, who will contact the Cyber Administration Section. Staff will initiate the process to obtain professional psychological assistance for the employee.
