The US government announced on Tuesday the strengthening of its efforts to combat the smuggling of migrants through the Darien jungle, on the Colombia-Panama border, through which tens of thousands of migrants who want to reach the US territory pass every year.

For this purpose, the US Departments of Justice and Homeland Security have announced that they are expanding the range of specialized anti-trafficking units in this vast, inhospitable area.

This particular unit was created in 2021 and has already operated in Central American countries, including Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico.

“With today’s announcement, we’re expanding our law enforcement efforts in Darien — one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world — and putting programs like those that brought down drug lords to pursue human traffickers,” he said. Lisa Monaco, deputy attorney general, according to a press release issued in Washington.

“To those who traffic through Darien, know this: the US government will come after you,” he said.

At the same time, the State Department announced that it was offering up to $8 million for any information that would lead to the arrest of traffickers in Darien, especially leaders of the Colombian Clan del Golfo gang.

Darien, a 166-mile (266-kilometer) border zone that separates Colombia and Panama, has in recent years become part of the route for South American migrants trying to reach the U.S. through Central America and Mexico.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced in mid-May that more than 30,000 children crossed the inhospitable jungle during the first four months of 2024, a 40% increase compared to the same period last year. .

Some 2.8 million illegal immigrants enter the US every year. In the midst of an election year, immigration has become a central campaign issue, with Republican candidate Donald Trump accusing Democratic President Joe Biden of facilitating what he calls an “invasion” of immigrants.