Panama reports significant drop in irregular migration through Darien Gap | Immigration News

The number of migrants and asylum seekers crossing the Darien Gap — a treacherous stretch of forest that connects South and North America — has dropped by nearly 41 percent in the past year.

On Thursday, Panama’s right-wing President Jose Raul Mulino announced the drop, hailing it as a success in the country’s efforts to curb illegal immigration.

“We have achieved a 41 percent reduction in the flow of immigrants crossing the Darien forest,” Raul Mulino told the Panamanian Congress in a speech.

“We work every day to ensure that illegal immigration does not happen [Panama City] or the whole world.”

Panama has faced pressure to reduce irregular migration in recent years, as the number of migrants and asylum seekers traveling north has increased dramatically.

In fiscal year 2023, the United States reported 2.48 million “encounters” with migrants and asylum seekers at its southern border with Mexico.

That was a new high-water mark in the US, and it led to a political battle, with immigrants looming large in the 2024 general election.

For example, President-elect Donald Trump – who won the 2024 presidential race – has pledged to carry out a “mass deportation” campaign when he takes office on January 20.

Similarly, in Panama, in 2023 he broke the records of migrants and asylum seekers wandering through the Darien Gap.

An estimated 520,085 people pass through the dangerous forest, which is known for its steep terrain, fast-moving rivers and criminal network.

But in 2024, immigration authorities in Panama saw a significant drop in the number of people risking their lives in the jungle. Another 302,203 crossed the Darien Gap last year.

The US has similarly seen prices drop on its southern border. In fiscal year 2024, US Customs and Border Protection recorded 2.14 million unusual “encounters” with immigrants and asylum seekers, a 14 percent decrease.

November alone saw the lowest monthly number of irregular border crossings in the four years of US President Joe Biden’s administration.

But the US has tried to clamp down on irregular migration in recent months. Last year, Biden implemented tougher measures limiting asylum access to those who cross the US-Mexico border without official channels.

Penalties include a five-year ban from the US and possible criminal prosecution.

Biden also threatened to freeze asylum applications altogether if the daily average of irregular border crossings reaches 2,500 2,500 per day.

Critics have warned that the measures could violate international and US law, by limiting the ability of asylum seekers to quickly flee persecution.

But proponents of the new policies argued that they needed to control irregular migration.

The US has also pressured its allies in South and Central America to reduce irregular migration to the north.

Panama and the US, for example, signed an agreement in July to “close the passage of illegal immigrants” through the Darien Gap, with the US contributing funds for deportation flights and other supplies.

About 1,548 migrants and asylum seekers have since been repatriated on US deportation flights from Panama.

The US has also established “Safe Movement Offices” in countries such as Costa Rica, Guatemala and Colombia in an effort to stop would-be migrants and asylum seekers from making the dangerous journey to the border.

Mulino revealed in December that at least 55 immigrants and asylum seekers died while wandering through the Darien Gap in 2024, and an estimated 180 children were abandoned.

Given the poor state of the country, some bodies are not reported or found.

Critics point out that efforts to end irregular migration often ignore the important issues that motivate migrants and asylum seekers to make life-threatening journeys in the first place.

This past year, for example, an estimated 69 percent of migrants and asylum seekers registered in the Darien Gap were from Venezuela.

There, human rights experts warned of government abuses, especially after a presidential race in which 2,000 people were killed and 23 killed in post-election protests.

Venezuela has also experienced economic turmoil that has put access to basic necessities such as food and medicine out of reach for many residents. 7.7 million people have fled the country.