US EditionTikTok becomes a tool of choice in cat-and-mouse game between migrant smugglers and authorities
- TikTok has become essential for smugglers and migrants due to decreased legal pathways to the U.S.
- A study by the United Nations in 2023 found that 64% of migrants they interviewed had access to a smartphone during their journey to the U.S.
- The U.N. reported that smuggling networks are becoming more sophisticated and evasive, challenging government authorities.
- Smugglers openly taunt authorities in videos on TikTok, with some even mocking politicians.
84 Articles
84 Articles
The videos travel through TikTok in flashes of 30 seconds. Migrants advance camouflaged through a dry desert terrain. SUVs roar towards the border barrier between the United States and Mexico. Families with young children pass through the holes in the wall. Helicopters, airplanes, yachts, tunnels and water bikes are ready for potential customers. With emojis, videos published by smugglers offer a simple promise: If you do not have a visa in the …
Many migrants share on social networks what the experience of leaving their land for a better future is like. However, few tell what happens to their children who stay in their country. Rosa Zhunaula published in TikTok a moving account of how it was to grow up without their parents, who left for Spain and the United States when she and her sisters were small. “It’s an irreparable vacuum,” she said. Growing up alone: a moving account of a young …
ICE Has An Internet Surveillance Power Tool That Keeps Tabs On More Than 200 Websites
The DHS and its main anti-immigration component, ICE, have always been big fans of social media surveillance. This has been part of the so-called "enhanced screening" protocols for several years now, deployed against foreign residents upon arrival in this nation, whether at border crossings or international airports where they're just flying in for a short-term…
How TikTok is emerging as an essential tool for migrant smugglers
The videos roll through TikTok in 30-second flashes.Migrants trek in camouflage through dry desert terrain. Dune buggies roar up to the United States-Mexico border barrier. Families with young children pass through gaps in the wall. Helicopters, planes, yachts, tunnels, and Jet Skis stand by for potential customers.Laced with emojis, the videos posted by smugglers offer a simple promise: If you don’t have a visa in the U.S., trust us. We’ll get …
Migrant Smugglers Turn to TikTok Amid Trump Border Crackdown
MEXICO CITY — The videos roll through TikTok in 30-second flashes. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Migrants trek in camouflage through dry desert terrain. Dune buggies roar up to the United States-Mexico border barrier. Families with young children pass through gaps in the wall. Helicopters, planes, yachts, tunnels and jet skis stand by for potential customers. Laced with emojis, the videos posted by smugglers offer a simple promise: If you don…
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