The United States government announced this Tuesday, June 11, that it will intensify its fight against human trafficking in the inhospitable Darién jungle, between Colombia and Panama, one of the routes taken by migrants seeking to reach the United States. United.
The US Departments of Justice and the Interior have indicated that they will extend to this vast jungle of 266 kilometers in length and 575,000 hectares a specialized unit in the fight against human trafficking created in 2021, which has already operated in Honduras , Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico.
“With today’s announcement, we are expanding our law enforcement efforts at Darién — one of the most dangerous migrant crossings in the world — and deploying reward programs similar to those that enabled to capture drug lords to prosecute traffickers,” said US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, quoted in a press release.
“To those who traffic people across Darién, know this: the United States government will come after you,” she added.
At the same time, the State Department announced that it would offer up to $8 million for information leading to the capture of traffickers in Darién, particularly leaders of the Clan del Golfo narco organization.
The Darién, a thick, impenetrable jungle on the border between Colombia and Panama, has in recent years become a corridor for migrants from South America trying to reach the United States via Central America and Mexico . In 2023, more than 520,000 people have crossed this region, despite the dangers posed by wild animals, rushing rivers and criminal gangs who rob, rape and kill migrants.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN THE DARIÉN: A CORRIDOR FOR MIGRANTS FROM ALL BACKGROUNDS
Until last May, more than 150,000 migrants had crossed this route in 2024, according to Panamanian migration authorities. The majority are Venezuelans, as well as Haitians, Ecuadorians and Colombians; there are also Asians, mainly Chinese, and Africans.
Panama’s President-elect José Raúl Mulino, who is due to take office on July 1, has promised to “close” the Darién and deport migrants entering the country through that jungle, but he has ruled out building a wall .
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported in mid-May that more than 30,000 migrant children had crossed this inhospitable jungle in the first four months of 2024, representing a 40% increase from the same period of the previous year.
It is estimated that each year approximately 2.8 million migrants enter the United States without documents. In the midst of an election year in the United States, migration has become a key campaign issue, with Republican candidate Donald Trump criticizing his rival, Democratic President Joe Biden, for favoring an “invasion” of migrants.
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