A total of 294,000 migrants have crossed the inhospitable Darién jungle en route to the United States so far this year, a 39% decrease compared to the same period last year, according to the Panamanian government.“There has been a 39% decrease in the flow of migrants through the Darién,” said Panama’s President, José Raúl Mulino, during his weekly press conference.
Official figures show that during the same period in 2023, 482,000 migrants crossed the jungle. The Panamanian government closed several routes in the Darién region this year and, with support from the United States, began deporting migrants on flights paid for by Washington. Additionally, it recently announced fines for those attempting to transit through the jungle.
Mulino noted that migration flows decreased last month due to “heavy rains that make navigating the rivers impossible.” “Walking through the rivers is impossible when these areas are flooded and currents are strong,” he explained. However, the Panamanian president believes that migration flows from Venezuela will not stop as long as the political and social crisis in Venezuela persists.
“That’s a disincentive too, because we don’t want them coming. But as long as this problem continues in Venezuela, I feel that this won’t have an easy solution,” Mulino stated. The Darién, located on the border between Panama and Colombia, serves as a corridor for migrants attempting to travel from South America to the United States. Most are Venezuelans, although there are also significant numbers of Colombians, Ecuadorians, Chinese, and Haitians.
In 2023, more than 520,000 people crossed the Panamanian jungle, where they faced dangers such as raging rivers, wild animals, and criminal groups.
