Facebook ’fess on how to immigrate illegally

Facebook has admitted it allows users “to share information about how to enter a country illegally or request information about how to be smuggled,” in a letter to the Arizona attorney general.

The admission came after Attorney General Mark Brnovich wrote to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, requesting information about reports that human smugglers and drug cartels are using the platform “to advertise their services” to help migrants’ “unlawful entry into the United States,” the Washington Times reported.

Shortly after Facebook’s response, Brnovich announced his plan to seek a Justice Department investigation into the social-media giant. In a letter to US Attorney General Merrick Garland, Brnovich said his office was “surprised” by Facebook’s admission. “Facebook’s policy of allowing posts promoting human smuggling and illegal entry into the United States to regularly reach its billions of users seriously undermines the rule of law,” he wrote.

“The company is a direct facilitator, and thus exacerbates, the catastrophe occurring at . . . Arizona’s border.”

In Facebook’s response to Brnovich, William Castleberry, vice president for state public policy, said the company has been working “diligently” to remove content about drug trafficking or human smuggling from the platform, but that it has no rule against sharing information about how to enter a country illegally.

“We do allow people to share information about how to enter a country illegally or request information about how to be smuggled,” Castleberry wrote in the letter dated July 30.

After speaking with “human rights experts,” Castleberry wrote that Facebook opposes human smuggling, but does not interfere with people’s right to seek asylum under international law.

“Allowing people to seek and share information related to smuggling can also help minimize the likelihood of them being exploited by human traffickers,” he said.