The popular social media app TikTok is reportedly hosting videos intended to recruit people to help smuggle humans in Dallas and throughout Texas.
“TikTok allows human traffickers to post help wanted ads to recruit smugglers,” wrote The Post Millennial on Twitter alongside an apparent example of such ads.
TikTok allows human traffickers to post help wanted ads to recruit smugglers.
Footage: @taylerusa for @TPostMillennial pic.twitter.com/y7sUGW6inv
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 5, 2023
When translated from Spanish to English, the text of the TikTok reads, “I employ drivers who reside in Texas. Only interested people and serious. Good pay. 10,000 to 20,000 dollars in three hours.”
“Follow me and send me a message if you are interested and have a car or truck. Trailers are paid more,” it continues.
The poster of the video lists seven Texas cities: Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, San Marcos, Waco, and Temple.
Also featured in the post is footage of people piled in the backseat of a car and another person counting stacks of $100 bills.
TikTok user “jr_nano009” posted this and many similar videos. The account remains active on the platform.
More examples of these apparent human smuggling advertisements can be found here.
Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe told The Post Millennial that “99.9% of smugglers they encounter and arrest are American citizens.”
“We’re seeing all walks of life. We’ve had those that are hurting for money, they’re in a bind financially and are looking to make an easy buck,” he said. “We’ve picked up a couple attorneys that have been smuggling.”
Coe said his team recently caught one “kid” from Dallas-Fort Worth who was smuggling people.
“He’s living at home. His folks are living in like a $600,000 house,” said Coe. “I don’t think he was here for the money. I think he was here for the thrill.”
“And then there are those who want to make a name for themselves, or try to join a gang or do whatever to get into part on that clique to make the easy money,” he continued. “It’s just not worth it.”
The Dallas Express reached out to the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department for comment but received no response by press time.
TikTok’s apparent use as a human smuggling forum comes amid other questions of security and privacy regarding the social media platform, which is owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance.
The app has been the subject of multiple bans by varying entities in the U.S. over concerns that ByteDance can access and exploit the data of TikTok users to further the interests of the Chinese government, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
