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| Videos showing the dream of reaching America on Tik Tok: 'Human smugglers have already passed their Eid' |
The small group of immigrants who set foot in the Rio Grande had smiles on their faces. Their long and perilous journey to America was about to end just a few feet later.
One video had the message 'Cross the river safely.' The video had the 'American Dream' written in Spanish. Along with this was written, 'Message me, and I will give you more information.'
There are hundreds of videos on social media promising immigrants a safe and cheap start to a new life in America.
Although the videos appear friendly, experts say they are 'deceptive.'
They say that this is the advertising of smuggling. And it is happening openly.
According to experts, such videos on TikTok, YouTube, and WhatsApp are the public face of a highly organized, multi-billion dollar illegal industry that takes advantage of changes in US laws to promote its services through misinformation.
After the May 11 repeal of Title 42, a law that allowed people to be deported under Donald Trump during the coronavirus pandemic, the illegal business is shining once again.
But U.S. officials say that since the law expired, immigration arrests have dropped by 70 percent because more people are now entering the country legally.
But that doesn't mean the criminal organizations that help smuggle migrants across the border are making less profit than before.
"It's like Eid for these smugglers," says Ed Calderon, who says that there is a perception among migrants that it is difficult to successfully cross the border without the possibility of arrest.
"It is because of their propaganda and with the help of this they increase their remuneration."
Adam Isaacson agrees with Ed Calderon's analysis. A Washington office expert on Latin America admits that demand for the services of smugglers has increased.
The videos on social media are also proof of this, in which people who are satisfied with the services of smugglers record messages from the streets of America.
In one such video, a man says, 'We're here in New York City. I want to thank my company for bringing me here safely.
A video purporting to be a travel agency encourages viewers to message them to get to the US without a visa.
Other videos show smugglers guiding migrants through difficult areas or helping them cross border fences using ladders. Many of these videos promise to travel from home in Latin America to the final destination in the US.
Almost all videos have a number that can be messaged to get more details including payment.
However, the industry operates clandestinely, so there are no statistics on how many migrants contact smugglers through social media and who are genuine, and who are fake.
Guadalupe, associate professor at George Mason University, says that through social media, smugglers create anxiety among immigrants and thus such people fall into the hands of smugglers.
Smuggling networks, they say, foster fear through disinformation so that migrants seek their help in any way they can.
Experts say that the remuneration of such smugglers is not uniform and depends on how much money the migrants or their families can pay in the eyes of these smugglers. Sometimes payment is made in installments.
According to US authorities, immigrants who cannot pay are forced to work for gangs. They are made to drive, carry drugs or engage in prostitution.
Some of them are held hostage in safe houses until they pay the full amount or their families are threatened.
"It's a huge industry and it's very profitable to ship across the border," says Ed Calderon.
He estimates that the basic package is $5,000 to $8,000 to get a family of four across the border into Mexico.
According to US and Mexican officials, compensation is usually around $15,000 but can go up to $50,000 to $60,000 for people from outside Latin America.
On the other hand, the information spread through social media has now come to the attention of American authorities.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has warned that potential immigrants should not be fooled by those trying to lure them across the border.
His department has also launched a social media campaign featuring ads that highlight US policy and the dangers of crossing the border illegally.
Along with this, the campaign to remove the content on social media is also going on. The videos referenced in this story have already been taken down. But similar videos have also been uploaded on social media by smugglers.
Alex Pacio is a former Customs and Border Patrol supervisor with 20 years of experience. It says that such videos will continue to appear on social media.
They always say that people need to cross the border immediately. Some people are told that if they do not cross the border yet, the price may increase.
"Some will say that now that a new US administration is coming in and Joe Biden is no longer president, and the border system is going to be the way it was before, it's all for their benefit."