The Biden administration announced a new effort Tuesday to pressure "transnational criminal organizations" it said were involved in smuggling undocumented migrants crossing the southern border. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said the new Operation Sentinel will bring together multiple law and border enforcement agencies along with the State Department to make it hard for the gang members to travel internationally or move money and goods around. "These criminal organizations put profit over human life. They routinely prey on migrants taking vast sums of money from them, in exchange for often empty promises to get them safely to the United States," Mayorkas said. "We aim to cut off access to that profit by denying these criminals the ability to engage in travel, trade, and finance in the United States. We intend to disrupt every facet of the logistical network that these organizations use to succeed," he said. Mayorkas, who has struggled with a sharp surge in the number of migrants trying to enter the United States from Mexico, said the idea was to disrupt the smuggler networks from multiple sides. That includes by revoking travel documents, freezing bank accounts, and blocking legitimate trade they engage in across the border. "The goal is to disrupt every facet of the logistical networks of these criminal organisations," he said. Mayorkas said Mexico and Central American countries where most of the migrants come from had agreed to help in the new operation. pmh/st