EXCLUSIVE: Here’s How Turkish Smugglers Use Social Media To Help ‘Citizens Of Every Country’ Reach The US Border
JENNIE TAER
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
January 09, 2024
Turkish smugglers appear to be using social media platforms to help migrants from across the globe enter the U.S. illegally through the southern border, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation review of Telegram and TikTok posts.
The advertisements offer arrangements for travel, visas and transportation directly to the U.S.-Mexico border for migrants in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Border Patrol encounters of migrants crossing the southern border illegally have hit numerous records in recent years, with more than 2.2 million encounters in fiscal year 2022 and more than 2 million in fiscal year 2023, according to federal data. (RELATED: Feds Raise Concerns Over New Pathway Fueling Migrant Crisis)
One smuggling advertisement shared on Telegram boasts a “GUARANTEED PASS” for $10,000, which includes a flight from Istanbul to Cancun, a Mexican visa, “CANCUN ENTRANCE,” a hotel room, a taxi, and “DELIVERY TO TIJUANA BORDER.”
“WE HAVE A ROAD FOR CITIZENS OF EVERY COUNTRY WHO CANNOT GET A MEXICO VISA AND FLY TO NICARAGUA,” the post reads.
https://dailycaller.com/2024/01/09/exclusive-turkish-smugglers-use-social-media-citizens-every-country-us-border/
