An operation that had been kept secret, involving some 1,300 federal agents, as well as police and troops from Mexico, Central and South America. So far, more than 2,000 human smugglers have been arrested, and this is just the beginning.
A White House document revealed a multilateral covert operation to disrupt human smuggling networks across the hemisphere. According to the document, this is the first campaign of its kind, “unprecedented in scale, to disrupt and dismantle human smuggling networks in the Americas.”.
The operation, dubbed 'Sting,' is led by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and involves 1,300 personnel (including agents, staff, and officers) across the region. To date, ‘more than $14.5 billion has been invested to support these activities,’ the statement reveals.
Also, the first results have already been seen, the government says that the efforts have produced approximately 20,000 total disruption actions that include: arrests and prosecutions, seizures of property such as houses and vehicles used to hide and smuggle people and criminal investigations.
Similarly, according to DHS analysts, these actions have resulted in 900 migrants not reaching the southwest border (United States-Mexico) each day. And according to Luis García Villagrán, director of the Organization for Human Dignity, one of the organizers of the march that departed from Tapachula, Mexico on June 6, caravan participants witnessed covert and secret operations led by U.S. federal agents. He stated that the agents made themselves visible and spoke to people, instilling fear.
Additionally, the operation has been embroiled in various allegations of abuse of authority and other methods used to achieve its objective. The Mexican newspaper La Jornada stated on its website that military personnel are involved in 'Operation Sting' and that one of its main objectives is to stop the caravans.
Finally, this operation is seen as an effort by the American government to target smuggling organizations and is expected to fulfill the commitments made at the Summit of the Americas regarding safe, orderly and regular migration that respects and protects the human rights of immigrants.
News report based on information from: Univision
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