Colombia is part of route for migrants trying to reach the United States
Twenty migrants were rescued off the coast of Acandí, Choco, after storms in the gulf shipwrecked their vessel on September 1. One, of Ghanaian descent, died during the ordeal.
Lieutenant Leonardo Valderrama, commander of Uraba’s coastguard, told Colombian media. “There was a storm in the gulf at daybreak, the water flooded the raft and the passengers launched themselves into the sea. We have rescued 17 people, two of whom are in a delicate state”.
The Colombian Navy (Armada Nacional) says that it alone has picked up over 400 illegal migrants this year – with many more making it to shore.
Migration Colombia reports that ports in Turbo, Apartado and Capurgana have become routes used to transport undocumented persons into Colombia – many of whom are attempting to make it through Panama and then on to the United States.
They said that 2,111 people without documents were detained in 2014, more than double the number from the previous year. The majority came from Cuba, followed by Nepal, China, Bangladesh, Somalia, India, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.