Washington, D.C. — Today, Congressman Cloud led members of the Big Tech Censorship and Data Task Force in a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg regarding their concerns of cartels using the Facebook platform to aid in human smuggling and illegal immigration.

Our southern border has experienced record amounts of apprehensions, surpassing 1.7 million in this year alone–the highest amount ever recorded. In October, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported that there were roughly 164,000 apprehensions at our southern border, the highest number of apprehensions for the month of October in the last 22 years.

Facebook has become the main source of information for many across the globe and it has made efforts to brand itself as the arbiter of truth when it comes to the content on the platform. 

Instead of seeking to drown out dissenting voices and censor political opponents, Congressman Cloud is urging the company to utilize its ability to weed out the criminal activity of dangerous cartels.

The letter states that ​​Facebook should report all activity related to human smuggling or illegal immigration on its platform to law enforcement. “It is important that, where appropriate, Facebook assists our law enforcement officials to keep Americans safe.”

“Illegal immigration enables some of the most dreadful and cruel crimes imaginable,” Congressman Cloud (R-TX) said. “Facebook seems all too eager to combat information from dissenting viewpoints. Meanwhile, cartels have free rein to use their platform to recruit, advertise, and mobilize their human trafficking operations.”

“Recent reports of cartels using Big Tech platforms for illegal activity at America’s borders are deeply troubling. Rather than improving their work with law enforcement to address these obvious harms—like illegal drug sales and human trafficking—Big Tech is instead focused on silencing speech that doesn’t fit the liberal orthodoxy. Their priorities are all wrong.” — Big Tech Task Force Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) 

Read the full letter HERE.

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