Senator Sinema reintroduces social media focused anti-cartel bill

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Senator Kyrsten Sinema has reintroduced her Combating Cartels on Social Media bill, a piece of legislation initially introduced in September 2022 alongside Oklahoma Republican Senator James Lankford, Senator Mark Kelly, and Tennessee Republican Senator Bill Hagerty.

“Every day, cartels post on social media platforms and recruit teenagers in Arizona to act as drivers for their illegal operations. These teens – some as young as 14 – are lured by the promise of easy cash and wind up participating in illegal smuggling, endangering everyday Arizonans along the way,” Senator Sinema said.

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Senator Lankford said he believes large social media corporations should be held accountable for the illegal recruitment activities on the platforms. “Social media companies (like YouTube and Facebook) 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 U.S., and demonstrate how to avoid the U.S. Border Patrol when crossing the border,” he said.

The bill’s reintroduction comes after multiple arrests in Arizona of individuals smuggling others illegally across the U.S. and Mexico border. In addition, the act would require the Department of Homeland Security to monitor cartels’ use of social media on four separate platforms for recruitment efforts. Read the full bill here.