Migrant smuggling is not a student pastime – The American Spectator | US news and politicsThe American Spectator

cCollege students will do just about anything to make a quick buck. Not long ago, I was in that exact spot, working various jobs on campus at my alma mater, Arizona Christian University.

The Republic of Arizona recently published a report on Arizona Christian football players who were caught in a migrant smuggling scheme two years ago. The report tells the story of two student-athletes who were paid — one earned $1,000 — to drive “migrants from border cities to metro Phoenix” and were later arrested for doing so.

It should go without saying, but there are many ethical and legal ways for students to make money. This is a cautionary tale about avoiding schemes that promise quick money but hide the dangers associated with these activities.

The Republic‘S The report sheds light on an under-examined problem unfolding in Arizona and other border states: migrant smuggling, where illegal aliens are sneaked into the U.S. knowingly or with reckless disregard.

Migrant smuggling is difficult to detect due to the nature of the crime. The migration data portal reports that in 2016 “at least 2.5 million migrants were smuggled” with a profit of $5 billion.

This is reported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement smuggling is a daily occurrence in the Rio Grande Valley and that most smugglers “have no regard for personal safety or comfort.” Those who cross the border through smuggling may be “at risk of assault and abuse, such as rape, beatings, kidnapping and theft.”

Smugglers, often affiliated with transnational criminal organizations, have turned to social media to promote their business. The Border Report found smugglers’ social media accounts on TikTok, enticing migrants to cross the border. The videos advertise their services by using trendy audio clips and stating that their service is “100% guaranteed.”

John Modlin, Tucson’s chief patrol officer, told the Republic that high school and college drivers are recruited through social media advertisements. “For a lot of kids, their first thought is, ‘Hey, this looks a bit like Uber. Like this is a rideshare thing. I’m just going to pick someone up,” Modlin said.

The report shows that the two arrested footballers were released without prosecution. Drivers involved in the scheme are often released without prosecution due to issues with probable cause, the lack of witnesses willing to testify, or the “pure caseload” of smuggling cases.

In response to the Republic report, Arizona Christian University condemned the incident.

“Our purpose, consistent with our Christian witness, is ‘to restore and to redeem,’” Arizona Christian said in a statement. The university suspended the students involved from the football program and imposed “disciplinary requirements” for them to continue their education.

Following the publication of the report, former students and colleagues contacted me with concerns about the way the story portrayed the university in a negative light. Former Arizona Christian football players I spoke to about the incident recalled it and insisted it hasn’t happened since.

Arizona Christian University also claimed in a statement that the story was used to make the school look bad.

“To be clear, the conduct addressed in this report was and is unacceptable at ACU. No one turned a blind eye to it or pretended it wasn’t that bad,” the university said in a statement. “But it is truly unfortunate that this news story takes the actions of a handful, which were quickly dealt with by ACU, to tarnish an emerging university known for the character and quality of its graduates.”

An entire chapter of the RepublicArizona Christian’s investigation aims to explain what Arizona Christian is allegedly all about, noting the university’s Christian identity that the football players supposedly represent. As an alumna of Arizona Christian, I can testify to my university’s commitment to educating every student in Christian beliefs and values. The statement of faith and the chapels students are required to visit are just a fragment of the university experience.

Arizona Christian attracted national attention last year when the university filed a lawsuit against the Washington Elementary School district. The district’s administration ended a long-standing partnership to train and hire Arizona Christian teachers because of the university Christian values. Arizona Christian harbored no hatred or bad manners toward the school board, and the board later reinstated the partnership, allowing the university to drop the lawsuit.

While the “broken college life” can be challenging, one doesn’t have to turn to committing crimes to escape it.

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