Two Uber drivers have detailed how the ride-sharing app has been used to transport illegal immigrants into the United States. Apparently, “illegal immigrants regularly use Uber to travel from the border to destinations within the interior of the United States, two drivers in the border town of Yuma, Arizona, told Fox News.”
Fox News granted both drivers anonymity for the interview so that they could speak freely. “One driver said the riders confirmed to him that they were in the U.S. illegally. Another said he deduced their immigration status based on the circumstances, such as getting picked up with bags alongside large groups in remote locations near the border with destinations at hotels” reports Fox News.
The drivers said many illegal immigrants are getting dropped off at hotels in the Yuma area. They also said Uber pickups have surged in the last several weeks, immediately following President Biden’s announcement for his plan to reimpose the “Remain in Mexico” policy.
The policy will require asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while they wait for immigration court dates in the United States. Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls told Fox News the use of Uber is a new phenomenon.
“This is new. This is not something that is a normal, standard operating procedure” Nicholls told Fox News. “The MPP [Migrant Protection Protocols], or the ‘Remain in Mexico’ program, coming back online is correlated to roughly where this happens” added Nicholls.
One driver said, “we’re kind of put in between a rock and a hard place, because it’s coming through the app, and then we don’t know that they’re illegals until you start talking to them. You find out and it’s like, too late now, I’m not just going to drop them off somewhere.”
Fox News reports it “asked Uber a series of questions, such as whether the ride-share company was aware that illegal immigrants were using its services to travel to the U.S. interior or what it had done to assist its drivers. An Uber spokesperson’s response didn’t answer the questions, besides indicating that drivers can cancel rides if they feel unsafe and can call the police to report suspicious activity.”
“But a second Uber driver pointed out that he won’t know whether riders are illegal immigrants when he accepts the trip. He said law enforcement gave him a warning for transporting illegal immigrants. ‘Technically it’s illegal to transport illegals,’ the driver told Fox News.”