Samuel Briggs II, the Acting Chief Patrol Agent of the Miami Sector for U.S. Border Patrol, recently drew attention to the dangers of maritime migration. In a retweet from the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), Briggs underscored the risks faced by migrants attempting to reach America via sea routes.
Briggs stated, "Irregular, unlawful maritime migration is always dangerous & often deadly. On #InternationalMigrantsDay, #HSTFSE reaffirms our commitment to orderly, safe & lawful migration. We will rescue & repatriate migrants attempting to enter the U.S. unlawfully by sea. #DontTakeToTheSea."
A report by the United Nations highlights one particularly perilous water route used by migrants in the Americas: the Darien Gap. This dense tropical forest spans over 1.4 million acres across Panama and Colombia and has seen an unprecedented number of attempts at crossing this year with a recorded 500,000 so far.
Commissioner Reinel Serrano from the Panamanian National Border Service provided further insight into this issue. He said, "The number of migrants in 2023 is unprecedented; it has never been seen here before." Serrano went on to detail that most of these migrants hail from Venezuela, Ecuador, Haiti and even China. They represent about a hundred different nationalities and while many are young men traveling alone, there are also entire families involved with more than 110,000 being minors.
Serrano attributes much of this surge in migrant numbers to smugglers who deceive desperate individuals about how long it will take to cross the jungle. He added that they are often told they can cross within a day when in reality it could take anywhere between three to fifteen days.
The United Nations report also highlighted that these migrants are frequently subjected to abuse such as rape and kidnappings at the hands of smugglers they entrust their lives with. The report estimates that human smuggling is a global business worth between $5 to $7 billion, and is fraught with danger for migrants seeking to escape violence, poverty, and natural disasters.
