How Facebook is fueling the border crisis by failing to close down dozens of groups offering passage into the US for as little as $1,700 and showcasing glowing testimonials
- Dozens of Facebook groups openly offer illegal crossings, posting prices, routes and testimonials from what they claim to be happy customers
- The Tech Transparency Project (TTP) said in a damning report Facebook has become a 'one stop shop' for coyotes and dangerous cartels
- Many groups - some with tens of thousands of members - make no effort to disguise their services, with names like 'Travel to the US, fulfill your dream'
Facebook has been blamed for fueling the border crisis as human smugglers are using its platform to organize the passage of desperate migrants into the US in exchange for as little as $1,700.
Dozens of Facebook pages and groups openly offer illegal crossings across the US-Mexico border, posting prices, routes, discount options, videos they claim show successful trips - and even testimonials from what they claim to be happy customers.
Many of the groups - some with tens of thousands of members - make no effort to disguise their illegal services.
Among the brazen group names are: 'El coyote lopez' and 'Viaje para estados unidos, cumple tu sueño' - translated as 'Travel to the United States, fulfill your dream.'
In one post on the 'El coyote lopez' page, a smuggler advertises travel from Nicaragua into the US for $8,000 per person.
Another post offers single mothers and children a discounted rate of $1,700 if they are willing to hand themselves over to US Border Patrol on arrival into the US.
The price rises to $7,000 to $8,500 to take the migrants all the way to Houston.
It uses flag emojis for Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua to show where the smugglers will pick up the migrants from.
The group has a WhatsApp button for customers to directly connect with smugglers.
A migrant reaches for help after crawling through a gap in the US border wall in Yuma, Arizona. Dozens of Facebook pages and groups openly offer illegal crossings across the US-Mexico border, posting prices, routes and discount options
Facebook is blamed for fueling worsening border crisis as human smugglers offer services on groups | Daily Mail Online