Entering the U.S. illegally from Mexico has become increasingly hazardous for migrants due to scammers flooding social media with misinformation and false hope, according to a study by a technology industry watchdog group.
The Tech Transparency Project interviewed 200 U.S.-bound migrants south of the border about the source and reliability of the information they used during their journeys northward. Most reported being misled by online sources that downplayed dangers along the route and at the border and about the potential legal consequences once reaching the U.S. Many reported using social media to hire guides, also known as “coyotes,” only to be betrayed by them along the way.
“For migrants making the precarious journey to the United States, acting on misinformation had devastating consequences,” the study said. “Participants in this study told interviewers harrowing stories of being deported, abandoned in dangerous terrain, or robbed of their life savings.”
The nonprofit group added that research into the role of social media outlets on immigration has become time critical: “The recent discovery of a truck carrying the bodies of 46 dead migrants in San Antonio underscores how important it is that migrants have access to reliable information in order to make safe, informed decisions about their journey.”
The survey describes Facebook and WhatsApp as the social media outlets most used by migrants to plan and embark on journeys to the United States. And…
