Human smugglers are leveraging social media platforms to facilitate their illegal activities.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has identified more than 400 immigrants brought to the US by an ISIS-affiliated human smuggling network. While more than 150 have been arrested, the whereabouts of over 50 remain unknown. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says it is actively seeking to apprehend them on immigration charges.
These smugglers operate in Central Asia, helping people leave their countries and travel to the West. It’s unclear whether the smuggling directly funds ISIS activities or if the smugglers are making personal money through these operations. We know that they are using platforms like Snapchat, Telegram, TikTok, and WhatsApp:
Snapchat: In August, 22 people were indicted in Arizona for recruiting truck drivers using Snapchat posts of cash glamorizing illegal migrant smuggling. Many of the posts claimed drivers can make hefty sums of money without the risk of being arrested. In September, an Arizona man was sentenced to 71 months in prison for transporting hundreds of illegal immigrants, and investigators found Snapchat posts in which he gloated about cramming people into overcrowded vehicles in unsafe conditions.
Telegram: A New York Post investigation this month found that migrant smugglers are using Telegram to advertise their services to migrants in Turkey, and migrants from that country have been pouring into the US in record numbers. Turks are being offered routes from Cancun to Tijuana in Mexico, which include flights and travel into the US The smugglers reportedly tell migrants not to “delay your dreams” in advertizements for the travel routes.
TikTok: Chinese migrants are said to be relying on TikTok to learn “step-by-step instructions” for how to find gaps in the border wall and hire smugglers. Venezuelan illegal migrant Leonel Moreno had built up a substantial following on TikTok, where he went viral for encouraging others to cross the US-Mexican border and boasted about gaming the US welfare system and advising people to squat in American homes.
WhatsApp: WhatsApp is used by smugglers to communicate with migrants using the platform’s free phone and video calls as well as its free text and video messaging features. Its real-time geolocation technology also facilitates journey planning, and migrants only need a Wi-Fi connection to use the app.
Representatives of these platforms have promised they have policies in place to crack down on smuggling-related content and to remove such content when it appears on their platforms. Obviously those policies are not working at all perfectly.
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