It’s no wonder that “business is booming” for coyotes working the southern border: Univision and Telemundo are broadcasting to millions of viewers that the human smugglers are now advertising on social media!
Migrants seeking information need only tune in to Telemundo or Univision for detailed instructions on how to contact coyotes via Facebook, as seen in this video compilation of four reports aired by Telemundo and Univision during March and April:
ILIA CALDERON: As incredible as it may seem, human traffickers called “coyotes” are offering their illegal border crossing services into the United States via social media.
(....)
FELICIDAD AVALEYRA: Social media outlets are also involved in human trafficking. Coyotes passing migrants across the southern border are increasingly using Facebook.
(....)
AVALEYRA: One of their advertisements claims that traveling from Mexico costs $8,000; that it's 100% safe, according to them; and that the Biden Administration will take them in.
(....)
LUIS MEGID: Coyotes are using a new means with which to promote their services. You don't have to go very far to find offers for a "safe crossing" on social media.
(....)
BORJA VOCES: They could be called the new generation of coyotes. These are illegal groups that use social media to contact immigrants who want to cross the border into the United States.
(....)
SATCHA PRETTO: More human smugglers are using Facebook to connect with potential migrants. So-called coyotes advertise their services on that social media network, offering Central Americans a 100% safe crossing into the United States for about $8,000.
(....)
LUIS MEGID: On this page they offer to cross them in by jumping over the wall for $6,200; by car for $6,800, and $7,500 via tunnel.
On the one hand, the Spanish-speaking media parrot the Biden Administration´s “don’t come now” talking points, in a feeble attempt to mitigate the growing crisis at the southern border. On the other, they’re showing potential migrants how to find their very own smuggler.
Exit question: why would both Telemundo and Univision produce four reports to date exclusively on the subject? Here’s Jorge Ramos with your answer:
I think the future of Spanish-language media is assured for decades, simply, for a very simple reason: Despite of the fact that the majority of the growth within the Hispanic community is coming from people being born here, we still have one to two million immigrants, legally and illegally coming in every single year. Most of them speak Spanish. So, therefore, we have a market that is growing and growing.
And I think we can assure you that in the next few decades, you'll see Spanish-language media. That's another topic completely, but the Latino community is keeping so many elements from their country of origin, including Spanish- 9 out of 10 Latinos speak Spanish...speak Spanish at home- that- and we're doing things that Italians didn't do, or Russians, or Eastern Europeans didn't do- and the closeness to our countries of origin and the communications that we have are keeping Spanish-language media alive. And thanks to that, it's a new power that other immigrant communities didn't have in the past.
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