ICE St. Thomas introduces 1,000 students to ‘Project Guardian’

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Some 1,000 students from the public and private schools in St. Thomas got tips on how to avoid falling victim to online sexual predators January 23 through January 27 during a USVI-sponsored youth summit at a local hotel.

The presentation was provided under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) Project iGuardian. As part of Project iGuardian, HSI special agents in St. Thomas organized the largest Internet safety outreach in the USVI for 8- to 16-year-old kids to provide them with the necessary tools to make smart decisions when navigating the Internet. The event was part of the 2015 USVI Youth Summit sponsored by the USVI Police Department and the local Department of Education.

HSI special agents together with their law enforcement partners provided at least 1,000 students with hands-on tips on how to avoid falling victim to online sexual predators. Using super hero-style characters and trading cards developed expressly for the iGuardian initiative, HSI St. Thomas special agents reminded young computer users to “think before you click,” and to make the right choices while navigating the Internet.