Bill approved to crack down on cartel recruitment and smuggling

The Homeland Security Committee approved Senators Sinema and Lankford's legislation that will keep families safe

WASHINGTON (KYMA, KECY) - The U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs approved the Combating Cartels on Social Media Act that will keep families safe by cracking down on cartels that recruit teenagers through social media to conduct smuggling and trafficking.

Senators Kyrsten Sinema (I-Arizona) and James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) introduced the legislation with fellow Senators who backed the bill.

According to the press release, the legislation's national strategy will help law enforcement hold cartels accountable and give border communities in Arizona needed resources, and educate youth targeted by the cartels.

The legislation also requires the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to analyze cartels' illegal use of social media and establishes a process for technology companies to voluntarily report cartel recruitment efforts in the U.S. to DHS, state and local partners.

“Cartels lure Arizona teenagers through social media into dangerous and illegal activities with the promise of easy cash, putting Arizonans’ lives at serious risk. I’m proud our legislation cracking down on this criminal activity to keep families safe, hold social media platforms accountable, and secure our border moves one step closer to becoming law,” said Sinema, Chair of the Senate Border Management Subcommittee. 

“Social media companies list in their ‘terms of service’ that the platform cannot be used for illegal activities, but at the same time they allow human smugglers to buy ads, promote how to illegally enter the US, and demonstrate how to avoid the US Border Patrol when crossing the border,” said Lankford, Ranking Member of the Senate Border Management Subcommittee.

“The largest social media companies pick and choose which illegal activities they like and which they do not like, and clearly, they like people illegally crossing the US border. Social media companies need to be held accountable for turning their heads to human trafficking at the cost of human lives. Today, the Senate Homeland Security Committee took the first steps to make sure this stops," continued Lankford.