Last week, the New York Post reported that some migrant smugglers (AKA “coyotes”) are openly promoting their illegal operations on YouTube and TikTok using slickly-produced videos of the “migrant experience” from accounts that also provide pricing for their services.
Smugglers, who are most often linked to drug cartels, often charge more than $10,000 per person to help illegal aliens sneak into the United States. Some of them are posting promotional videos featuring smiling illegals hiding in “stash houses” in the US as well as scenes of the smugglers escorting illegal aliens to the border.
These smuggler “influencers” use public profiles on YouTube and TikTok to advertise their services to foreign nationals hoping to make the journey to the United States. By using a smartphone, illegals can make contact with one of these smugglers on social media to request a quote on how much it would cost to engage them.
One smuggler told the New York Post that he charges 180,000 pesos (about $10,500 US) to get a Mexican illegal into the United States. But prices vary depending on the migrant’s home country, according to the smuggler, who goes by @ELINMIGRANTEAVENTURERO on YouTube.
This smuggler’s YouTube videos, which have garnered nearly 13 million views, show smugglers dressed in camouflage helping illegals sneak across the border.
While the videos purport to simply “document the migrant experience,” when viewers contact @ELINMIGRANTEAVENTURERO, they receive prices and information on his smuggling service.
His YouTube channel, which currently has 55,000 subscribers, includes contact details for “business inquiries” for those seeking to hire his services.
According to the New York Post, searching specific keywords on TikTok, like “levanto” (AKA “pick up”), “sueno americano” (AKA “American Dream”), and “inmigrantes” (AKA “immigrants”) turned up dozens of TikTok accounts that are suspected to be smugglers.
