Cartels have been posting ads on social media, asking young Americans to help them smuggle illegal immigrants in exchange for money, Fox News’ Bill Melugin reported Tuesday.
The cartels use social media apps such as TikTok and WhatsApp to offer young people cash if they acted as drivers for migrants, according to Melugin. “They offer quick cash,” he said. “They show smuggling routes. Sometimes offering thousands of dollars per ride. And some young people here in the U.S. will take them up on that offer.”
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Melugin then cued a clip from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) of two girls driving migrants. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans Demand Hearing On ‘Unprecedented’ Immigration Crisis)
“They’re two girls from Austin who were smuggling five illegal immigrants in their vehicle,” Melugin said. “They drove down to Del Rio, possibly after seeing one of those ads. They picked those migrants up, got into a police pursuit. They ultimately crashed. Both of them were arrested for human smuggling.”
During the segment, Fox News also reported that elsewhere on the southern border, the Texas DPS discovered nineteen illegal immigrants trying to sneak into America by hiding in brand new cars on a train.
“Some of the seats still have fresh wrapping on it,” Melugin said. “But it just goes to show how far some of these migrants are willing to go to hide from law enforcement out here.”
“The Texas Department of Public Safety is committed to securing our southern border and protecting Texans against violent cartels under the direction of Texas Governor Greg Abbott and has deployed around one-thousand Troopers, Special Agents and Texas Rangers as part of Operation Lone Star (OLS),” DPS said in a statement obtained by the Daily Caller.
“Since OLS began in early March, DPS has made more than 8,100 criminal arrests for state violations of law including, but not limited to, criminal trespassing, criminal mischief, smuggling and human trafficking. Additionally, over 6,600 felony charges have been filed since the operation began and DPS has made more than 74,350 migrant apprehensions and referrals. DPS is proud to continue to work alongside our federal, state and local partners as part of OLS and stands ready to protect the people and property of this great state,” the statement read.