Human traffickers often misrepresent immigration policies and conditions along the U.S.-Mexico border in Facebook and WhatsApp posts, targeting migrants heading to the U.S., according to a report published Wednesday. ) by a technology transparency group.
Since taking office, US President Joe Biden has faced an unprecedented number of migrants arriving at the US southern border amid worsening conditions across the Western Hemisphere. But while senior government officials repeatedly warn people not to travel north, they also face a multi-billion smuggling industry that sells disinformation to migrants.
In its new report, the Technology Transparency Project found that migrants primarily relied on word of mouth and online platforms for information on routes to the United States, which was often misleading.
“Disinformation has led people in the region to think that it’s a lot easier to get into the United States than it really is,” said Katie Paul, director of the Technology Transparency Project. Migrants are aware of the risks and deceptions on platforms, Paul noted, but their volume makes it harder to decipher what is true.
Posts on Facebook and WhatsApp, which are included in the report, claim that border authorities allow pregnant women to enter the US, show favorable conditions for crossing the border by misrepresenting the state of the rivers they will have to cross, pass migrants and offer fake documents.
“Some of the misinformation posted online about environmental conditions appears to influence respondents’ decision-making about their own migration attempts,” states the report, which includes interviews with migrants.
Migrants interviewed in a survey who provided some of the messages said they were aware of the spread of misinformation and the risks that accompany it, according to testimonials included in the report.
“What smugglers do is infiltrate these online communities. They provide information – often fabricated – that there is an opportunity to enter the United States,” said John Cohen, who was previously the temporary head of the intelligence division at the Department of Homeland Security.
“They sought to organize large groups of migrants who travel to the southern border and show up en masse,” added Cohen, referring to the smugglers.
Last month, the Biden administration also launched an “unprecedented” operation to disrupt human smuggling networks. The operation included the deployment of hundreds of troops across Latin America and a multi-million investment. Between April 1 and July 22, authorities detained 3,533 people associated with human smuggling rings and carried out 262 raids, including hideouts, trailers, wagons and railroad compartments, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The Biden administration continues to rely on a Trump-era public health rule known as Title 42, which allows authorities to reject migrants at the border between countries. The administration tried to do away with the authority, but was stopped by a court of first instance, causing confusion among the migrants.
The continued circulation of disinformation poses a major challenge for the Biden administration, which is trying to stem the flow of irregular migration. Human smuggling can also pose serious dangers. Last month, 53 migrants died after being transported on a semi-trailer in stifling heat in what officials called “the worst incident of human smuggling in the United States”.
National Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will travel this week to Honduras, where human trafficking is expected to be a topic of discussion between the secretary and senior officials.
What the migrants told
Wednesday’s report is the first in a series by the Tech Transparency Project on the influence of social media on migrants. The group’s interviewers met with migrants in Guatemala, where they began their journey north and along the border.
Interviewers asked migrants to name the social media accounts, pages or groups they followed, and analysts later reviewed those sources, the report said.
Of the 200 migrants interviewed, many said they had received information about migration and travel to the US southern border through word of mouth and platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp.
Posts sometimes resemble travel ads, listing a range of services and guarantees, or promising easy travel. Most pages use descriptors such as “coyote”, a term commonly used for people smugglers, to indicate the service offered.
Sometimes pages are also classified as “travel company” or “product/service”. According to the report, smugglers also advertise on local buy and sell groups, where the ads appear alongside posts about motorcycles and furniture.
Facebook’s policy prohibits content that “offers or facilitates the smuggling of people.”
A spokesperson for Meta said the platform removes misinformation when flagged by experts and highlighted efforts to verify the information. The spokesperson also noted that WhatsApp, which is an encrypted messaging service, relies on users to report misinformation.
Migrants who arrived at the Arizona-Mexico border described in interviews with CNN the treacherous conditions of their journey to the southern border of the United States. A Peruvian migrant who traveled with his family, including his two-year-old daughter, told CNN he felt cheated by the smugglers, adding that the trip was more difficult than anticipated. He and his family paid US$800 (about R$4,200) just to cross the river to the United States.
A Colombian immigrant also shared the challenges of arriving in the United States. He paid a smuggler US$16,000 for the trip.
Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, a professor at George Mason University who studies human trafficking, said smuggling fees can range from $3,000 to $20,000. ), depending on the circumstances. But in general, migrants will have to pay a fee to cross the border between Mexico and the United States.
“Most of them need a smuggler sooner or later,” Correa-Cabrera said. “Most pay the smuggler at the border. Some pay different smuggling networks along the route.”
An additional challenge in deciphering the disinformation spread on online platforms about migration to the United States is determining who is spreading it, Correa-Cabrera said, adding that migrants can share the disinformation they have heard with other migrants.
The State Department posted ads and messages on social media to dispel misinformation. “We amplified these messages through television, radio and print media news generated through interviews with US government spokespersons in Washington and at our embassies abroad,” said a Defense Department spokesperson.
“We also continually disseminate these messages through social media in Mexico, Central America and other high-emigration countries in the Western Hemisphere, including, in many countries, the use of paid social media,” the spokesperson added.
The US Customs and Border Protection Service also launched a digital advertising campaign in May to discourage immigrants from traveling north. The initial two-month advertising campaign aimed to reach immigrants on social media and other digital platforms.
Source: CNN Brasil
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