Border Patrol: Big Tech platforms exploited to recruit child smugglers

06/29/2022 / By Ramon Tomey

A report by a Texas-based sector of the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) said criminal groups that smuggle illegal aliens into the country use social media platforms to recruit minors as mules.

The report from CBP’s Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol pointed to a trend of “transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) using social medial to recruit minors for their smuggling operations.”

“With an increase in illicit activity, TCOs require more manpower to carry out their operations. Social media has become an avenue for human smugglers to target juvenile driver,” said the report. “TCOs are luring minors to smuggle migrants across border towns in the Rio Grande Valley and into the U.S. interior with the promise of fast cash.”

“The use of social media has allowed local smugglers to expand their network’s reach. New recruits are not only from the Rio Grande Valley.”

Drivers from San Antonio, Houston and other areas working as mules for the TCOs – some as young as 13 years old – have been arrested in pursuit operations, according to CBP. “Most of these pursuits involve vehicles loaded with migrants well over the manufacturers’ intended passenger limit in order to maximize monetary gain,” the report added.

The CBP’s findings pointed out that TCOs convince young drivers that “they will not face the same consequences as adults if apprehended,” and that “law enforcement will disengage a pursuit if dangerous conditions are present.”

“This is an alarming trend, because many of these teenagers underestimate the severity of the crime. Not only can they be prosecuted and sent to jail, but they also endanger lives through their actions. I encourage parents to talk to their children and educate them on the potential consequences and dangers of this trend,” said Brian S. Hastings, chief patrol agent for the Rio Grande Valley Sector. (Related: Biden’s America: 13 dead in serious crash near Mexican border were illegal aliens being trafficked.)

Big Tech aids and abets violations of immigration law

According to CBP, the recruitment done by TCOs via social media was tied with the record number of illegal immigrants attempting to enter the country under President Joe Biden’s lax border policy.

“Agents have encountered more than 137,000 migrants between Oct. 1, 2021 [and] Dec. 31, 2021 – which is a 163 percent increase over the same reporting period of the previous year. Agents have [also] seized over 11,000 pounds of narcotics this fiscal year [2022], which is approximately 43 percent of all narcotics seized by Border Patrol across the nation between the ports of entry.”

But aside from their use as a recruitment tool for human trafficking, Big Tech platforms have also been utilized as tools to help illegal aliens avoid lawful deportation. According to the National Pulse, the TikTok app ran ads purportedly offering illegals a way to stay longer on American soil after entering in an unlawful manner.

The video ads that used mariachi or reggaeton tunes as background music featured an immigration lawyer dancing and showing work permits. They also featured the Spanish hashtag #arreglarsinsalir – which translates to “fix without leaving.” The ads ultimately exhorted viewers to schedule a legal consultation without needing to visit an embassy or consulate.

The TikTok ads promised viewers “employee authorization in six months and a green card within two years,” compared to “other attorneys [that] have said you have no option.” The ads appeared to target undocumented Latin American immigrants with strong ties to the U.S. and few to no existing options for obtaining legal status.

“Immigrants who enter the country illegally, overstay a visa, or have certain criminal convictions or prior deportation orders [are the] population that the TikTok ads primarily target,” remarked the Pulse.

Watch this Newsmax report about TCOs using a child to distract Border Patrol agents as illegals cross the border.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.