United States and Colombia strengthen anti-trafficking controls at Cartagena airport

The United States and Colombia trained 29 officials from the National Police Directorate of Protection and Special Services and Migracion Colombia at Rafael Nunez Airport in Cartagena.

The training, supported by the United States State Department and various agencies including Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations, aimed to help officers identify perpetrators of human trafficking and child sexual exploitation.

This marks the third such training session held at Colombian airports to improve information exchange and operational capabilities between the two nations. The training provided officers with techniques to analyze risk profiles, observe behavior, and conduct interviews to detect indicators of illicit sexual activities. Authorities used these methods during an eight day period of operational work, where they conducted more than 450 inspections of foreign citizens.

During this time, officials identified 39 people who presented potential threats due to links to trafficking crimes. Migracion Colombia denied entry to 38 of these individuals based on immigration regulations and specific circumstances. Another 10 foreigners were denied entry for various reasons, including a lack of required documentation or the presence of international alerts.

Jose Luis Castaneda, director general of Migracion Colombia, stated these actions aim to keep Cartagena a safe tourist destination by preventing criminal networks from using the city's infrastructure to violate fundamental rights.