Human Smugglers Up Facebook Advertising for 'Safe Passage' to U.S.

Human smugglers continue using Facebook to advertise safe passage to the U.S., a practice that has increased in recent months during the ongoing migration crisis at the southern border.

Through the use of Facebook groups and pages, human smugglers are able to advertise their services by promoting routes and rates. According to a new report by the Tech Transparency Project, smugglers post videos showing groups of migrants successfully crossing desert areas and the Rio Grande.

After being presented with a list of 50 groups which advertised human smuggling services, Facebook only took down half, the report explained.

Breitbart Texas previously reported on the widespread use of social media by human smugglers in the South Texas region where they advertised “100 percent” success. In early April, Rep. John Katko (R-NY) requested a briefing from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security about efforts to keep social media platforms from advertising human smuggling. Some officials have partially blamed social media as a factor contributing to the ongoing border crisis.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.