Representatives Bob Latta (R-OH5) and Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-GA1), both members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, sent Facebook a letter yesterday concerning recent reports that smugglers are working to bring illegal immigrants into the United States by advertising their services and spreading disinformation on Facebook.
The complete text of the letter is below:
There is an ongoing crisis at our southern border that has resulted in a spike of over 100,000 arrests of illegal immigrants. That number is projected to increase to the highest levels seen in the last 20 years. According to news reports, smugglers seeking to bring illegal immigrants into the country have used Facebook to advertise their services and spread disinformation. Given the ongoing crisis, it is critical that Facebook ensure that their platforms do not facilitate this illegal activity.
During your appearance before the House Energy and Commerce Committee last month, you testified in reference to the spread of disinformation by smugglers seeking to bring illegal immigrants into the country on your platforms that, “that is against our policies, and we are taking a lot of steps to stop it.” It has been reported you have already taken some action and we applaud these efforts, but we believe more can be done. Accordingly, we request a briefing from your staff on what further steps Facebook is taking to ensure your platforms are not used by bad actors seeking to illegally bring immigrants into the country.
We ask that you provide this briefing no later than April 20, 2021. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.
