Meta allows cartels to advertise human smuggling services on Facebook: report

On Friday, former acting director of the United States National Intelligence, Richard Grenell, revealed that Facebook is not stopping Guatemalan coyotes from advertising their services to bring illegal immigrants to the United States. 

In a post on X, Grenell said, "I’ve learned in Guatemala that coyotes are openly advertising on @facebook - 3 tries to get to the United States for $10k." He added, "Biden and Zuckerberg don’t care."

Grenell was in Guatemala to meet with Guatemala's President, Alejandro Giammattei, where they discussed ways to "help stem the flow of illegal immigrants into the US." Vice President Kamala Harris had been tasked with the job of figuring out the root causes of migration in the northern triangle countries.

In a separate post, Grenell said the Biden administration is using the State Department to "intimidate Guatemalans from criticizing Left-wing policies." He noted that "What the Biden team is doing to conservatives in America is exactly what they are doing overseas - thru [sic] the State Department’s INL and WHA leadership," 

"It’s unAmerican and just may be illegal," Grenell said before calling for an investigation. 

Social media has been a place for cartels to advertise their services for a while. In July, investigative journalist Tayler Hansen revealed that smugglers were using TikTok to recruit drivers. One of the posts had a video that showed the process of getting past border control, the discussion during the operation, and then the payments afterward. The video has words over the screen that read, "I need drivers based in Texas. Only serious enquires. Good pay: $10-20K USD in 3 hours. Houston, TX, Dallas, TX, San Marcos, TX, San Marcos, San Antonio, Austin, TX, Waco, TX, Temple, TX. Follow me and DM me if interested and if you have a car or truck. We will pay more if you have a trailer."

TikTok labeled the video with a warning that said, "Participating in this activity could result in you or others getting hurt," suggesting that TikTok knows it is an advertisement for smugglers. 

Platforms owned by Meta, including Facebook, have also had a history of being used for human smuggling and trafficking operations. In 2001, the issue had gotten so bad that Apple threatened to take Facebook off of the App Store amid human trafficking concerns. 

"On Facebook and Instagram, unscrupulous employment agencies advertised workers they could supply under coercive terms, using their photos and describing their skills and personal details," The Wall Street Journal wrote at the time.

Giammattei has also been critical of the Biden administration's immigration policies in the past. In 2021, he said, "This is why we have asked them [the Biden administration] to make the messages more clear. The Vice President sent a clear message on Wednesday: don't come because we won't let you in. That's a clear message. But the only thing a lukewarm message is going to do is create the possibility for misunderstandings. It could be said in good faith, but there will be people who misinterpret it."