Africa-to-US Human Trafficking

(Bogota, Colombia) Last year, over 500 Africans were apprehended as they attempted to get to the United States via Colombia, an entrenched stage for human smuggling routes to North America. Most of the alien travelers were from Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Benin, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast and Liberia.

According to Administrative Security Director Felipe Munoz, the human traffickers seek to link with drug smugglers for routes.

According to this official, in charge of immigration enforcement and intelligence work, "traffic networks of people prefer to Colombia for its privileged geostrategic position.

"Colombia has two oceans (Atlantic and Pacific) and from both these networks try to reach ports to introduce migrants to Central America," he said.

"They also establish contacts and let people in the country to liaise with the drug barons who seek to close business," he said.

Sick and penniless, narrated African immigrants who paid $ 5,000 (3,500 euros) each for traveling to U.S. territory.

Meanwhile, an Ethiopean human trafficking ring leader, Johenes Elnefue Negussie, and three Colombians were arrested last week for allegedly running an international ring for trafficking Africans to the United States and Canada.

Investigators said that the four in custody charged between $3,000 and $5,000 to African citizens to take them to North America through Colombia.

At their arraignment, prosecutors accused the four of crimes of migrant trafficking, criminal conspiracy and forgery of public documents.

Notably, the Colombian connection is just one of several pipelines for illegal aliens to enter the U.S. and, despite what our leaders in Washington tell us about our reputation, each pipeline is full of foreign nationals who have sacrificed virtually everything for the chance of experiencing freedom in America.

When people choose to illegally start a new life in a foreign land rather than remain upstanding citizens in their own countries, evidence suggests that the reputation of the United States is not all that tarnished.

Of course, it's logical to suspect that some foreign nationals may not be upstanding citizens and their intentions may not be to start a new life. It's a troubling reality resulting from a porous border.