More than 86,000 people have been caught illegally crossing into the United States in 2023, a 30% increase from the same time last year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) mid-year statistics.
Agents say some are being picked up near the border thanks to smugglers using social media apps to offer appealing driving gigs to young people and people in need of work.
Videos depicting cash, jewelry and the hashtag #AmericanDream, for example, are posted on apps like TikTok to advertise jobs for drivers. CBP told NBC 7 the criminals running these operations are targeting young adults and teens. A U.S. Border Patrol USBP San Diego Sector spokesperson the agency has seen an increase in the use of social media apps to recruit load drivers in San Diego and Los Angeles.
“Criminal organizations use these applications, as they make it harder for law enforcement to intercept and track communications. The use of these popular applications also speaks to the fact that these organizations are specifically targeting teenagers and young adults. Incorrectly informing them that they will not face prosecution due to their age, or lack of prior criminal history,” said Eric C. Lavergne, with the Information and Communications Division of the USBP San Diego Sector.
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Friday, criminal defense attorney Francisco Sanchez attended a hearing for his client Michael Bravo, one of three people accused of
“That’s unusual. I’ve had clients that have been recruited on Facebook and it’s shocking to me. People that don’t have any prior record. They answer an ad which they thought was for legitimate employment and turns out it wasn’t,” said Sanchez.
Bravo saw a post on TikTok advertising a $2,000-per-person driver job and responded to it, according to federal court documents. A few messages and a couple of pin drops on a map later, he was picking up a passenger in Dulzura.
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“Typically the amount of compensation is minimal compared to the people that organize and put this whole thing together,” said Sanchez.
Sanchez told NBC 7 his client waived his right to a grand jury indictment in order to keep the door open for negotiations with the U.S. Attorney's Office. Those negotiations could lead to Bravo agreeing to a guilty plea, Sanchez said.
And in cases like this one, Sanchez said they often take the fall, like Bravo did when he was caught by Border Patrol agents. Now a judge decides what happens next based on criminal records and the circumstances, said Sanchez.
But one thing is for sure: it didn’t happen in a vacuum.
As for what happens to the people organizing the operation, “That’s up to the U.S. Attorney’s Office to fully investigate and see if they can work their way up the ladder. To see if they can actually catch the people behind the curtain if you will,” said Sanchez.
NBC 7 has reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District and TikTok for comment but has not received an official statement from either.
