Alleged human traffickers use TikTok to recruit drivers for operation
After 84 migrants were found in the back of a tractor trailer in Hidalgo County on Thursday, Texas DPS has verified that a TikTok video was used to recruit a driver for the operation.
Hidalgo County sheriff's deputies located 84 migrants on Thursday afternoon as they unloaded from a tractor trailer just 12 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border in south Texas.
A concerned citizen originally reported the tractor trailer near a residence about 15 miles east of downtown McAllen.
Sheriff's deputies and Border Patrol responded to the scene and took the migrants into custody. Pictures released by Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra show dozens of migrants on the ground in what appears to be a residential area.
Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra released this photo of the tractor trailer that was used in Thursday's human smuggling operation. (Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra)
A TikTok video was posted late on Wednesday evening, seeking "someone who can drive an 18 wheeler right now" from McAllen to Houston for $70,000.
The Texas Department of Public Safety verified that the video is authentic and related to the migrants who were located in Hidalgo County on Thursday.
Texas DPS spokesman Christopher Olivarez said that law enforcement has seen an uptick in recruitment videos on social media sites since last year.
"That is why we are experiencing an increase in human smuggling events along the border," Olivarez told Fox News Digital. "Many individuals from larger metropolitan areas such as Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and even out of state are being recruited as drivers through social media platforms to smuggle illegal immigrants."
Hidalgo County Sheriff's deputies found 84 migrants in the back of a tractor trailer on Thursday. (Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra)
Cartels have turned to social media in other states as well. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., introduced a bill last week that would crack down on cartels' use of various platforms to recruit people for human trafficking operations.
"Cartels recruit teenage Arizonans to support smuggling and trafficking near our border – luring them into dangerous and illegal activities for easy cash that puts their lives and others at serious risk," Sinema said in a statement.
Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the conditions of the migrants or any arrests that were made on Thursday.
FILE PHOTO: A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine agents and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents compare notes as they patrol near the Texas-Mexico border, near McAllen, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
More than 308,000 migrants have been apprehended crossing Texas' border with Mexico since the state launched Operation Lone Star last year, according to Gov. Greg Abbott.
The operation has also led to more than 20,200 criminal arrests and the seizure of over 336 million lethal doses of fentanyl.
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