Some Chinese migrants interviewed reportedly stated that certain TikTok videos helped them with explicit instructions on how to find a border wall gap in the U.S. Border, effectively helping them illegally cross the lawless border.
CBS reports that after reviewing TikTok videos, certain posts included thorough directions to the border gap and step-by-step instructions for hiring smugglers to get to the gap. The hour-long trip to the border gap reportedly saw the migrants hiring the smugglers for $400.
In just four days, CBS reportedly saw nearly 600 migrants enter the 4-foot opening at the end of a border fence located 60 miles east of San Diego. After passing through the opening and walking half a mile down a dirt road, the migrants line up for U.S. officials so they can turn themselves in.
This 'TikTok Hack' comes after there has reportedly been an increase in the number of Chinese people arrested at the southwest border. Just 450 Chinese migrants were detained in fiscal year 2021, compared to 2,176 and 24,314 in fiscal years 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Ongoing TikTok Hack
Chinese social media sites have reportedly proven invaluable for individuals seeking to enter the United States. More than 20 Chinese immigrants who were traveling via southeast Texas to join the US were questioned by Reuters back in April. Every immigrant Reuters interviewed claimed that social media had made it easier to arrange their travels.
It extends beyond China. Content producers in Venezuela and India have also produced similar videos.
According to CBP, Chinese immigrants are the group that is trying to enter the country at the quickest rate of growth. Many are traveling via Latin America by plane to Ecuador, where they may enter the country without a visa and then continue on to the southern border of the United States.
Chinese Migrants' Motivation
According to "Confucius Never Said" author Helen Raleigh, as interviewed by Fox News, the open invitation of the US's lawless border everyone else is doing it without consequence-is what motivates the migrants. Furthermore, and perhaps most significantly, they are reportedly motivated by China's persistent political persecution as well as a worsening economic climate.
The author further stated that a significant proportion of youth unemployment in China makes no one feel safe. The state of the stock markets is also declining.
Raleigh claims that the previous year saw the largest decline in earnings among the populace and a downturn in the real estate market that further undermined people's confidence because more than 70% of Chinese individuals attach their personal fortune to real estate.
TikTok responded to the videos on their platform, reportedly stating that a representative for TikTok asserted that the site forbids people smuggling and that they remove any instances of it and report them to law authorities when appropriate.
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