Migración funcional al crimen: Desafíos a la seguridad del Estado Colombiano en un contexto de criminalidad en transformación

Abstract

Since 2017, Colombia has faced mass migration from Venezuela, the result of a profound crisis in that country. With more than 2.8 million migrants expected by 2025, this situation has transformed the social, economic, and security dynamics in Colombia. During the Santos and Duque governments, regularization mechanisms such as the PEP and the ETPV were implemented, seeking to integrate the migrant population and mitigate humanitarian impacts.

However, this migration phenomenon has coincided with a mutation in organized crime following the 2016 peace agreement, giving rise to fragmented, adaptive, and transnational criminal networks. In border areas and large cities, these structures have exploited migration as an operational resource for illicit activities such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, smuggling, and labor and sexual exploitation. Furthermore, migration has been used in media and political discourse as a symbol of social criminalization, fueling xenophobia and justifying securitization policies that fail to address the structural causes of the phenomenon. However, the Petro administration is facing a more moderate influx, where challenges related to hybrid governance and institutional co-optation persist.

The resulting scenario presents a multidimensional security problem that includes loss of territorial control, criminal expansion, social stigmatization, and institutional weakening. The required approach demands comprehensive responses that articulate security, human rights, and operational intelligence.