ADVERTISEMENT

DHS Official Promoted Illegal Immigration on Social Media for Months: Report

Immigrants cross the Rio Grande (Reuters)
October 23, 2024

A Department of Homeland Security official has been promoting illegal immigration for months by enticing and offering advice to potential border crossers on social media, according to a newly released report.

Wilson Osorio, an associate counsel with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, "uses his TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram channels" to post conversations with illegal immigrants and share tips about the migration process, the conservative watchdog American Accountability Foundation said in its report. Osorio asked the migrants "to tell those watching how much money they make, how they came to the United States, and how wonderful it is to illegally enter and settle in the United States."

Since July, Osorio has posted dozens of videos on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, according to the report. Osorio appears to have since removed his LinkedIn profile and made his TikTok and YouTube accounts private, Fox News reported.

"The American Dream is alive and well," Osorio wrote under one of his Instagram videos. "This is the story of a Honduran immigrant who entered the United States illegally ~20 years ago. With hard work and dedication, he is now the owner of an expanding restaurant which brings in over $1 million in sales."

In another video, an illegal immigrant provided tips for other border crossers, warning about smugglers and the desert’s heat.

Other videos detail stories of illegal immigrants receiving a work permit and even citizenship. "I got papers through [Reagan-era] amnesty, and now I am a citizen," one migrant said.

Osorio also uploaded videos highlighting how much money illegal immigrants in the United States could make in construction and other occupations. "In the [United States] you work hard for your money but crossing the border was worth it. Thanks to my work here, I built a house in Honduras and I will soon be moving back," one video’s description reads.

Under the Biden-Harris administration, over 7.8 million migrants entered the United States illegally, with more than 13,000 illegal immigrants convicted of murder now at large in the United States, according to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"Even as he collects his taxpayer-funded salary, Osorio pushes his radical open borders agenda that is endangering the safety, stability and livelihoods of millions of Americans," Thomas Jones, president of the American Accountability Foundation, said in a statement. "It is an utter betrayal of the American people. He must be fired immediately."