I'm John Bachelor of my colleague, Professor Ebenelis, the Latin American Research Professor

at the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, discussing right now Columbia

as the gateway to the Darian gap now infamous as a torturous 60 miles of triple canopy

jungle up and down, greatly at risk the young people who traverse it to reach Panama and

then find their way north to the Mexican Texas to California border and enter the U.S.

It's been a story now for two years.

Reuters is reporting that Panama says the Darian gap migrants will hit an all-time high of

this year.

The first half indicates that there are more and more people coming through.

I note, however, that Columbia is the gateway, and Professor Columbia is troubled.

Gustavo Petro, who serves one term that's by constitution, is troubled because of his

son, because of admitting to money laundering allegations about his campaign taking money

from outside.

At the same time, troubled by the rump gangs that operate in and around the jungles,

and then we have the migrants coming through.

Is Columbia in a position to, in some fashion, police, the border that you must cross in

order to get to Panama, or is that not a story in Bogota?

Well, as you pointed out, there's certainly a number of different interacting and historically

based things going on here.

So, first of all, of course, Columbia has long had the difficulties due to both narco

violence and insurgent terrorist groups in controlling substantial portions of its national

territory.

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