Senate bill to crack down on cartels that recruit teens in Arizona through social media advances with bipartisan support

Washington – U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee approves Border Control Subcommittee Chair Kirsten Sinema and Lead Commissioner James Lankford’s “Act on Fighting Social Media Cartels” bottom. It’s a bipartisan law that cracks down on cartels that recruit teenagers through social media to smuggle and smuggle, and to keep families safe. Human trafficking.

Senators Cinema and Lankford, along with Democratic Senator Mark Kelly (Arizona) and Republican Senator Bill Haggerty (Tennessee), introduced a bipartisan bill. Democratic Senator Jon Tester (Montena) and Republican Senator Tom Tillis (North Carolina) also supported the bill.

“The cartels are putting Arizonas’ lives seriously at risk by luring Arizona teens into dangerous and illegal activities through social media and offering them easy cash.” We are proud to be one step closer to enacting legislation to combat this criminal activity to keep people safe, hold social media platforms accountable, and secure our borders.” Cinema Chairman of the Senate Border Control Subcommittee said.

“Social media companies state in their ‘terms of service’ that their platforms cannot be used for illegal activities, but at the same time smugglers buy ads, advertise how to enter the United States illegally, or evade the United States. We are allowed to demonstrate how to do so, “When crossing the border, we will guard the border.” Lankford, a senior member of the Senate Subcommittee on Border Control, said. “The largest social media companies pick and choose which illegal activities they like and which they dislike, and they clearly prefer people who cross U.S. borders illegally. “Today, the Senate Homeland Security Committee has taken the first steps to ensure it is stopped.”

“We are pleased that steps have been taken to address cartels’ use of social media to recruit truck drivers to transport migrants north from near the U.S.-Mexico border.” Sierra Vista Mayor Claire McCar said. “These truck drivers are encouraged to drive recklessly through communities in southern Arizona, with little consideration of the potentially fatal consequences of their actions. This is of utmost concern to Sierra Vista residents and we hope that action will be taken quickly to address this issue.”

“Up to 44 percent of those arrested and put in prison have links to border crimes.” Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dunnells said. “My lawmakers work every day to protect their communities from package drivers recruited by cartels on social media. It makes our county roads safer.”

“I want to thank Senators Cinema and Senators Lankford for introducing and advocating this important bill. They are unaware of the fact that they are recruiting Americans to help with their smuggling operations Teens who are not old enough to get a driver’s license are lured into trafficking illegal drugs and foreigners. Cartels promise easy money making and thrills What these youngsters often get is dangerous high-speed chases and felony convictions These youngsters are forced to live before reaching adulthood. I am so pleased that this bill passed the Senate Homeland Security Committee and I hope Congress can pass this bill quickly.” National Border Security Council Chairman Brandon Judd said.

Cinema and Lankford’s bipartisan Fight Against Cartels on Social Media Act establishes a national strategy to combat illegal recruiting by transnational criminal organizations on social media and other online platforms. , which will run against cartels that are using online platforms to recruit Arizonans for smuggling operations along the Southwest border. . This strategy will help law enforcement hold cartels accountable, while communities in the Arizona border region will need to engage and educate at-risk youth targeted by cartels. will provide you with tools.

The senator’s bill would also require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to analyze the illegal use of social media by cartels, and would require technology companies to voluntarily monitor cartel recruitment activities in the U.S. with DHS and state and local governments. It also establishes a reporting process to its partners.

In April, Cinema led a bipartisan congressional delegation to the Southwestern Border to discuss challenges facing communities in the Arizona border area with Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dunnells and other local leaders. About 40% of crimes in Cochise County are border-related, according to Sheriff Dunnells, and those crimes cost Arizona taxpayers $4.3 million in damages in 2022. These border-related crimes include examples of cartels recruiting American teenagers into dangerous smuggling operations along the border. .

In late April, Cinema and Lankford led a hearing for the Senate Subcommittee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs and Border Control on the border and the impact of the immigration crisis on border communities. During the hearings, senators heard concerns from Sierra Vista Mayor Claire McCa II about the very issues that the bipartisan bill would fix. Makkah mayor says cartels’ recruitment of young Americans to become drivers in smuggling operations not only undermines law enforcement’s ability to stop other crimes, but also puts innocent lives at risk explained in detail.

Mr. Cinema visited the Arizona border region last month as part of a congressional delegation with Mr. Lankford. Senators have heard from Homeland Security officials how lives in Arizona are being endangered by the recruitment of teens on social media into smuggling operations by cartels and related criminal gangs. I was given an explanation as to whether