The migratory route through the San Andrés archipelago has been activated this year, due to the large number of migrants crossing through the Darien jungle, which separates Colombia from Panama, and the dangerousness of the journey through this dense and mountainous jungle
The Colombian Navy has rescued 158 people so far this year in 10 boats that went from the San Andrés and Providencia archipelago to Nicaragua and other Central American countries, the Colombian Navy reported this Sunday, July 23. Ombudsmanwhich called for safe and legal immigration conditions for migrants.
“So far this year, in 10 interdictions, 158 people have been rescued by the National Navy on the routes from the Caribbean Sea to Nicaragua and other places in Central America,” said the Ombudsman, Carlos Camargo, in a statement.
Ombudsman Carlos Camargo requests the design of greater control strategies to prevent the irregular transit of migrants in San Andrés. Safe, legal migration conditions, respectful of human rights, must be guaranteed.
— Ombudsman’s Office (@DefensoriaCol) July 23, 2023
Faced with this situation, the state human rights entity makes a “call to government entities to guarantee safe, legal and respectful migration conditions for human rights,” Camargo requested.
The migratory route through the San Andrés archipelago has been activated this year, due to the large number of people crossing through the Darien jungle, which separates Colombia from Panama, and the dangerousness of the journey through this dense and mountainous jungle.
For this reason, the number of people trying to get from the Colombian islands to the seven Central American countries that share coasts has increased in an increase in migrant smuggling.
Migrants arrive on the islands as tourists, with all the legal documentation and air tickets, but then they board boats that can be dangerous and find themselves in the hands of traffickers.
“The irregularity is constituted by boarding a vessel that does not meet the safety conditions for the journey, not having the documentation or permits,” said the Ombudsman.
The migrants believe that they are going to board yachts or cruise ships, but “they set sail without the corresponding authorizations”, which puts their lives at risk, despite the fact that this route, due to the price, is considered “VIP”.
“As a measure to curb the so-called ‘VIP’ journeys of irregular migration, I urge state entities and competent authorities to redouble their efforts to detect and punish the sale of activities not authorized by law,” said Camargo, who also asked Colombia Migration for “greater control at the country’s airports to prevent the irregular transit of migrants.”
Last year, the disappearance of four boats with 59 migrants was reported. Meanwhile, the Panamanian authorities anticipate that this July the “historical record” of 248,000 migrants who crossed the Darién in 2022 will be exceeded, since some 230,000 people have been counted in transit so far this year.
*Read also: Arrival of Venezuelan migrants at the southern border of Mexico increased 150% in 2022
Post Views: 321
