Social Media App Used to Sell Falsified Id’s in N. TX - Part II
By: Sheena Rodriguez | December 21, 2022
While the censorship of conservative and free-thinking Americans continues across social media platforms such as Facebook, the advertisement and illegal sale of falsified identification continue to be allowed. Last month, we released information on findings of local advertisers boldly selling false identification on the local marketplace of Facebook.
Since the last report, the research has expanded and uncovered additional solicitation of illegal activity. As the monumental influx of illegal aliens crossing into Texas and the United States continues, and the inevitable lifting of Title 42, the market for the subsequent illicit activity will continue to accelerate.
Discarded identification documents are scattered across the Texas banks of the Rio Grande River. Some illegal migrants tend to discard documentation, believing they have a better opportunity to falsify national origin, increasing the chances of acceptable asylum claims. We explained the extensive negative impacts of identity fraud crimes on American citizens, including the high financial burden, in our first article of the investigation.
Illegal aliens, with or without criminal records, attempt to hide within American communities and have access to opening bank accounts and applying for jobs, amongst other possible federal/state benefits with fake identification.
However, there are far more nefarious reasons illegal migrants may have to attempt to obtain falsified documentation. The national security threat is an often undiscussed yet very ominous element to the negative consequences of this intentional border crisis. According to an unsealed indictment in June by the Southern District of the Department of Justice in the City of Houston, "A 24-year-old former Iraqi refugee has been charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization…". The charges include claims of identity fraud and conspiracy to assist fellow ISIS operatives while attempting to complete the naturalization process.
In August 2019, U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested 15 illegal aliens from Mexico and Nicaragua utilizing fake documents to apply for critical infrastructure occupations. According to the USBP New Orleans Sector Chief Gregory Bovino, "Some of these companies constitute critical infrastructures, such as chemical plants or refineries, where the potential exists for possible terrorist attack or sabotage."
A segment by PBS, Frontline Report, thoroughly detailed the ease by which terrorist organizations obtain and utilize falsified documentation such as Social Security numbers, birth certificates, and passports to obtain visas and unassumingly immerse themselves into American society with the ultimate intention of committing future acts of mass terrorism.
North Texas has been a main attraction area for sleeper cells and terrorist attacks.
In May, Forbes reported a plot to assassinate former President George W. Bush in Dallas, which the FBI foiled. The Iraqi national had been in the U.S. since 2020 and had an open asylum application.
In 2021, the Collin County District Attorney's Office investigated another alleged terrorist attack. Imran Ali Rasheed allegedly murdered a female Lyft Driver, stole the vehicle, and then opened fire on the Plano Police Headquarters. Authorities suspect that Rasheed was motivated by 'Foreign Terrorist Organizations.’
Earlier this year, the Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville was targeted by Malik Faisal Akram. The British National, allegedly illegally overstayed a visa, held the congregation hostage. Thankfully, the incident ended with no physical harm to any innocent people in attendance. Akram was killed by responding law enforcement.
Given the credible threat of terrorist acts, particularly in North Texas, it is equally concerning how easy it is for illegal aliens to obtain falsified identification. We have uncovered additional concerns, exposing the growing ease by which social media continues to allow for the advertising of the illegal sale of falsified identification, including passports targeting those living in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex.
Costs range from $50-$250; local illegal migrants in the DFW area can obtain used and falsified passports and driver's licenses. Some advertisements include expedited home deliveries. All found in the local Facebook Marketplace catered to specific local regions.
Considering the historical attraction of terrorist attacks in the North Texas area, is the exponential growth of the illegal sale of fake identification on social media potentially setting the stage for future terroristic carnage to occur in the DFW metroplex?