Three Stages in the Construction of the Tren de Aragua’s Transnational Empire
“Tour operators” offering trips to Bogotá, Medellín, and even as far afield as Ecuador and Peru, swarm anyone stepping off…
Dutch Caribbean Remains a High-Risk Route for Venezuelan Migrants
The recent interceptions of boats carrying migrants towards the Dutch Caribbean again reveal lucrative human smuggling and trafficking routes as…
Human Trafficking on the US-Mexico Border: Family Clans, Coyotes, or ‘Cartels’?
Human trafficking is one of the most complex and misunderstood criminal economies in the world. This is especially true along…
Corrupt Officials Key to Trafficking Networks in Venezuela
The recent arrest of a military officer involved in a human trafficking ring in Venezuela exposes the oft-ignored and covert…
Venezuela’s Corrupt Officials Key to Human Trafficking Networks
The recent arrest of a military officer involved in a human trafficking ring in Venezuela exposes the oft-ignored and covert…
Venezuela Security Policy: The Criminal Exploitation of the Migrant Crisis
Over the last decade, millions of Venezuelans have fled economic collapse and political turmoil, creating what is possibly the biggest…
From Smuggling to Trafficking: One Migrant’s Nightmare on the Guatemala-Mexico Border
On July 21, 2021, prosecutors from Guatemala’s Attorney General’s Office and agents of the National Civil Police (Policía Nacional Civil…
Does US Policy Exacerbate Migrant Kidnappings on the US-Mexico Border?
It was just after dawn when Ricardo Montes* saw nearly a dozen armed men in two pickup trucks arrive at…
The Gauntlet: One Migrant’s Journey from Venezuela to the US-Mexico Border
More than two months of travel across eight countries. Regular run-ins with corrupt police and migration officials, organized crime groups,…
How US Policy Foments Organized Crime on US-Mexico Border
In 2019, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). What would become known as…