Combating Cartels on Social Media Act of 2025

This bill aims to stop cartels and other crime groups from using social media, messaging apps, and other online services to recruit people in the United States. It requires the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and State to study how these groups use online platforms for crimes like drug and gun trafficking, human smuggling (especially of children), and moving illegal cash, then create a national plan to fight it. The plan must boost teamwork across agencies, build partnerships with local, Tribal, and state officials and with foreign governments, add more intelligence sharing for law enforcement, set up ways to report recruitment attempts, and do outreach to youth in border communities. It also says efforts should target the criminal recruiters—while protecting privacy, civil rights, civil liberties, and free speech, especially for minors.

Key timing and guardrails:

• Assessment due in 180 days; full strategy due in 1 year; implementation starts 90 days after the strategy is sent. Agencies must report progress every six months for 5 years, and there will be a civil rights and privacy review within 2 years.
• The bill does not expand agency powers and does not authorize new money.