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Ireland and US agree to share travel information of convicted child sex offenders

The Cabinet approved the sharing of travel information of child sex offenders from the US to Ireland and vice versa.

MINISTER SIMON COVENEY today secured approval to sign a letter of intent with the US to allow the exchange of international travel information of convicted child sex offenders.

The approval by Cabinet today will allow An Garda Síochána to sign the letter of intent with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations to facilitate the sharing of travel information of sex offenders from the US to Ireland and vice versa.

While such information has been shared in the past, this memorandum puts the agreement between the two countries on a more formal footing, according to a government spokesperson.

Operation Angel Watch

This exchange of information forms part of a US programme entitled ‘Angel Watch’, established by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to aid the prevention of child sex tourism.

Operation Angel Watch targets individuals who have previously been convicted of sexual crimes against a child and who may pose a potential new threat by travelling overseas for the purpose of sexually abusing or exploiting minors.

The project uses publicly available sex offender registry information and passenger travel data to strategically alert foreign law enforcement partners of a convicted child predator’s intent to travel to their country. In 2015, over 2,100 notifications to more than 90 countries were made through the programme.

With Ireland agreeing to continue co-operating with such a scheme, the US has made similar approaches to other EU Member States. The UK and Slovakia have both signed-up to the agreement.

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    Mute Robert Halvey
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    Nov 5th 2024, 6:37 AM

    Ffg and thier election bull has no ends

    91
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    Mute Dave Barrett
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    Nov 5th 2024, 7:24 AM

    There is no end to what this government will do to try win votes. I hope people can see through this and vote these guys out for ever. These guys can only have their own greedy interests at hand. Remember the little kids in hospital with terrible pain from scoliosis and the money that was squandered on the bike shed and the RTE bail out and the most expensive hospital in the world that facilitated a developer to have an ever ending cash cow from this government. It’s a pity we don’t have laws like they have in America where these crooks would be in jail.

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    Mute H Woo
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    Nov 5th 2024, 1:14 PM

    @Dave Barrett:
    I think strengthen the Pedo laws should be a priority
    before the election.
    Just in case.

    9
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    Mute Jim Ryan
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    Nov 5th 2024, 6:37 AM

    FF FG GP Bribery and Corruption Specialists .

    76
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    Mute H Woo
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    Nov 5th 2024, 1:07 PM

    @Jim Ryan:
    Bribe away if it puts money in the people’s pockets
    PS
    IRELAND 15th on the list of LEAST corrupt counties in the world.

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    Mute Sean O'Dhubhghaill
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    Nov 5th 2024, 4:07 PM

    @H Woo: 193 countries in UN

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    Mute Michael o connor
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    Nov 5th 2024, 7:08 AM

    Micheal Martin, trying to bankrupt the country a second time. It’s the fiannna fail way.

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    Mute Colette Byrne
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    Nov 5th 2024, 8:36 AM

    @Michael o connor: ffg one party, one agenda.

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    Mute H Woo
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    Nov 5th 2024, 1:01 PM

    @Colette Byrne:
    Sin. Fein, the one trick pony party.

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    Mute H Woo
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    Nov 5th 2024, 1:04 PM

    @Michael o connor:
    Sin Feins proposed spending over the years when added up would have wiped out the middle income families with the tax increases needed to finance their waffle.

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    Mute Colette Byrne
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    Nov 5th 2024, 8:35 AM

    Again, not targeted. Oh we do love giving away money, esp when it’s not theirs to give away. People need to wake up.

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    Mute Elizabeth Doyle
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    Nov 5th 2024, 6:47 AM

    It’s a few years since we protested at Shannon Airport !!!!!!!

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    Mute H Woo
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    Nov 5th 2024, 12:56 PM

    @Elizabeth Doyle:
    Who cares?

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    Mute Nick Bowie
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    Nov 5th 2024, 9:05 AM

    Cue, the schools will exploit an opportunity to introduce a new voluntary charge, just wait!

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    Mute Frank O'Hara
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    Nov 5th 2024, 12:35 PM

    More bribery, more freebies, more welfare handouts, more Hamas appeasement, more anti-West nonsense, more wacky environmental policies, more disrespecting of America, does this government have no end to their terrible policies? Is Simon Harris allergic to supporting any sort of policy that isn’t left-wing? This current government has been nothing more than a Statist leach, mooching off the taxpayer and their money. At some point, the people of Ireland will wake up and realise that they are being screwed over, but it looks like they are blinded once again and continue to stab themselves and their wallets in the chest. Harris and Varadkar are up there with Jack Lynch and Garret Fitzgerald as the person who was the worst Taoiseach in our nation’s history.

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    Mute H Woo
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    Nov 5th 2024, 12:57 PM

    @Frank O’Hara:
    That’s it, get it all up, yill be grand.

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    Mute Frank O'Hara
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    Nov 5th 2024, 1:35 PM

    @H Woo: You haven’t offered any sort of coherent rebuttal to what I said. Is that because you know that I’m right?

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    Mute Hector turtlehead
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    Nov 5th 2024, 9:52 AM

    Recognising Palestine is so hypocritical when aeroplanes carrying war equipment flies over Irish airspace and Shannon is used as a stopover.

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    Mute H Woo
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    Nov 5th 2024, 12:59 PM

    @Hector turtlehead:
    Good to see we play our little part keeping the the free world free

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    Mute Trump24
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    Nov 5th 2024, 9:14 AM

    Fantastic news well done government

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    Mute John Nolan
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    Nov 5th 2024, 12:36 PM

    I see the Sinn Fein (kangaroo cult) bots are creeping back out

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    Mute Michale Kane
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    Nov 5th 2024, 1:02 PM

    @John Nolan: You must have great eyesight to see them in the herds of pro FG & Trump bots …. Weird you haven’t noticed them !! FG supporting Trump bots man.. Like they do stand out, considering FG has always tried to liken SF and their supporters to Trump and his supporters in an attempt to smear them.. but now it’s a good thing when FG bots are supporting Trump bots ..

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