Congressman Ciscomani Pushes to Combat Cartel Recruitment Through Social Media

WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressman Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) on Wednesday joined a bipartisan group of his colleagues in introducing legislation to combat cartel recruitment on social media. 

The bill—the Combating Cartels on Social Media Act—takes aim at illicit recruitment activity by drug and human smuggling organizations who use social media and online platforms to recruit Americans for illegal activity along our southern border.  

“The number one cause of death in Pima County’s teenagers is currently fentanyl overdoses—a majority of which are coming from the cartels,” said Congressman Ciscomani. “Sadly, the same cartels have been using social media to recruit young people from across the country to traffic these drugs and others like them from our southern border. I’m proud to be a part of this bipartisan effort to crack down on illegal activity online, go after the abhorrent cartels instigating it, and hold our social media platforms accountable.” 

According to federal and local law enforcement, there has been an uptick in these groups using social media to recruit drivers to help with human and drug smuggling operations. Cochise County Sherriff Mark Dannels are among those who’ve spoken about the problem to media and in a testimony to Congress.  

Posts on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat promise thousands of dollars for just a few hours of driving. The offers even include a vehicle and gas money. “Drivers” are often unaware that the post originate from drug and human smuggling organizations. The bill establishes and implements a national strategy to combat these activities. 

By enhancing cooperation between government agencies and private sector platforms, this legislation would help law enforcement hold cartels accountable while also giving communities along the border and across the country the tools they need to engage with and educate at-risk youth who are targeted by the cartels. 

The congressman was joined by Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) and Michael Burgess (R-TX-26) on the effort. It is companion legislation to a bill in the Senate led by Arizona Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), James Lankford (R-OK) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN).  

“As a former federal agent and former CIA case officer who tracked transnational criminal organizations, I understand how the tactics of cartels evolve. And right now, social media is the latest battlefield in the fight against human smuggling and narcotics trafficking. We need to make sure that technology companies are punishing — not ignoring — these recruitment tactics on their platforms,” said Congresswoman Spanberger. “Our bipartisan bill goes after the cartels, holds them accountable for preying on vulnerable populations, and recognizes the urgency of the crisis at our southern border. I’m proud to work with both parties to protect more Americans from unwittingly helping these criminals, boost our efforts against trafficking, and build an all-hands-on-deck strategy in the fight against cartels.”   

“During a recent Energy and Commerce Committee field hearing in McAllen, Texas, witness Brandon Judd told us that the cartels are using social media platforms to recruit and advertise their illegal services,” said Congressman Burgess. “The cartels are luring American teens to join them in smuggling and sometimes trafficking immigrants in the U.S. These actions endanger the lives of these teens, every American, and even those who are being trafficked. It is important that we pass this bipartisan and bicameral legislation to help secure our border and hold social media companies accountable for their participation in our current border crisis.” 

Specifically, the bipartisan effort would require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to analyze cartels’ social media use and establish a portal for technology companies to report cartel recruitment efforts in America to DHS.  

It would also require DHS to create a “National Strategy to Combat Illicit Recruitment Activity by Transnational Criminal Organizations on Social Media and Online Platforms.” This strategy would focus on improving cooperation between DHS and state and local law enforcement agencies, build a proposal for implementing a reporting system for social media platforms, and improve coordination within DHS itself. Additionally, the strategy would help facilitate increased intelligence analysis for law enforcement and help foster more international cooperation on this issue. 

You can find full text of the bill here.