Sin Rutas, Sin Recursos: Hitting Criminal Networks Where It Hurts

About this grant

The U.S. Department of State's Embassy Bogotá announces an open competition to contract an investigative journalist or media production firm to document how reduced illegal migration has disrupted the operations of criminal networks, including Clan del Golfo and Tren de Aragua, that prey on migrants originating from and transiting through Colombia, and the damage these groups cause to Colombian communities and the environment. The project will center human stories and testimonies from affected communities, reinforced by hard data and compelling visual graphics, for dissemination across social and traditional media. Potential formats include an investigative documentary mini-series tracing how migrant "toll" payments financed violence against communities and security forces, as well as high-impact visual journalism/photojournalism highlighting ecological recovery in border zones as illegal transit declines. Working in close coordination with Colombian authorities and relevant U.S. agencies, this program directly advances U.S. foreign policy priorities by demonstrating that reducing illegal migration undercuts financing to narcoterrorist organizations while benefiting Colombian communities — supporting America First priorities and shared U.S.-Colombia security objectives.