A number of Chinese migrants coming through Mexico have been crossing the border into the US using Douyin, the Chinese version of ByteDance's most famous app TikTok.
The CBS news documentary "60 Minutes" recently featured a segment on the matter, including an interview with a 27-year-old female Chinese migrant who said that she crossed the US side of the border in California using the short video app.
According to the program, migrants have purportedly been using videos on TikTok that provide "step-by-step instructions" for how to find gaps in the border wall and hire smugglers. SUVs were also spotted arriving along the border fence every 30 minutes to drop off more groups of migrants, totaling almost 600 people crossing the gap over the course of four days alone.
"TikTok strictly prohibits human smuggling which we remove from our platform and report to law enforcement when warranted," a TikTok spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
According to TikTok's website, the company provides a space for "survivors of human exploitation to share their stories, and for migrants and refugees to be able to document their journeys, so we provide a space to do so."
The company also claimed that 93% of the human trafficking content in the platform was removed proactively.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher (R), chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, criticized TikTok for aiding a surge of Chinese migrants trying to cross the US southern border.
Capitol Hill Scrambles to Pass Border Bill
Back in Washington, the Senate unveiled the new bipartisan border bill this month, but it was quickly struck down after Republican senators opposed it.
"I've seen enough," House Speaker Mike Johnson shared on X, formerly Twitter. "This bill is even worse than we expected, and won't come close to ending the border catastrophe the President has created. As the lead Democrat negotiator proclaimed: Under this legislation, 'the border never closes.'"
House majority leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) added that the Senate border bill would "not receive a vote in the House."
"Here's what the people pushing this 'deal' aren't telling you: It accepts 5,000 illegal immigrants a day and gives automatic work permits to asylum recipients - a magnet for more illegal immigration," he added.
On the other hand, US Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens shared his disappointment over Congress's failure to pass the border deal.
"We need more people. We need more agents on the line," he added. "They need more force multipliers in the way of technology and equipment infrastructure that doesn't just help them do their job better, it helps keep them safe."
