US would support Colombian, Panama forces to slow migration

By ELLIOT SPAGAT and REBECCA SANTANA
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — United States forces will assist their Colombian and Panamanian counterparts with intelligence gathering to dismantle smuggling rings operating in the dense jungle of the Darien Gap. A senior Biden administration official said Wednesday that migration through the Darien would not end, but the campaign is expected to have significant impact. U.S. forces could assist in targeting smugglers for arrest and locating “stash houses” where smugglers hold migrants, the official said without specifying whether the U.S. forces involved would be military or civilian law enforcement. The United States, Panama and Colombia had announced Tuesday an ambitious 60-day plan to shut down the primary migrant route for people traveling from South America.