TikTok Removes Hashtag Used by Cartels to Recruit Human Smugglers
TikTok has removed a hashtag from its search engine that was being used by cartel members to recruit human smugglers.
According to a report by Fox News, the social media platform took down “#CartelTok” and also removed “known leaders of cartels or gangs” that violated TikTok policies. Videos posted under the hashtag showed cartel members flaunting large sums of money and jewelry in an attempt to attract teenagers in the US and Mexico to assist in smuggling illegal immigrants across the border. Other videos appeared to show cartel members bragging about evading border authorities.
Cartel smugglers have also been using other social media platforms, such as Snapchat and Instagram, for recruitment. These smugglers then use encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp that allow them to communicate anonymously and receive instructions on picking up people to be transported.
Last August, 22 people were indicted in Arizona for allegedly recruiting truck drivers via Snapchat. The following month, an Arizona man was sentenced to prison for transporting hundreds of illegal immigrants. Law enforcement found Snapchat posts in which he showcased his smuggling activities.
National Border Patrol Council Vice President Hector Garza commented on the use of social media by cartel members to Fox News, explaining that this practice has been in effect for some time, but the Trump administration is taking the issue more seriously.
“Our intelligence community within the Border Patrol and other agencies have always been tracking these types of activities on social media. Now we know that back in the Biden administration, we were tracking a lot of the different caravans that were coming into the United States. A lot of the promotion, the marketing that some of these cartels were doing in Central America… the United States has always tracked those activities,” Garza said. “The problem back then is that we did not have a president that wanted to do something about it.”
“Now we have President Trump, who is pretty clear that he’s serious about making America First, protecting our country, protecting our borders. So we are very confident that President Trump will actually have some eyes on this TikTok situation and not going to be allowing these cartels to continue to peddle their illegal activities on social media,” he added.
Garza also warned of the dangers posed by these cartel recruitment videos and how they encourage illegal behavior.
“The problem with these TikTok videos and some of these social media channels that promote human smuggling, child trafficking, and human trafficking is that there are other copycats coming out of this situation. And now we have a sense that involving yourself in illegal activity is something to be proud to be of. And it’s sending the wrong message to our youth, our communities,” Garza explained.
