PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – More than 300,000 migrants crossed the Darien Gap into Panama in 2024, 42% fewer than the record number who crossed the dangerous jungle from South America a year earlier, Panama’s migration services told Reuters on Thursday.
The dangerous Darien Gap connects Colombia to the Central American country of Panama and an increasing number of migrants have headed north to reach the United States.
Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino has taken a tougher stance on migration since taking office last July, including fencing off parts of Darien with barbed wire, imposing fines and using US-funded flights to deport migrants.
Officials with Panama’s National Migration Service told Reuters that 302,203 migrants crossed the Darien last year, a 42% drop from a record 520,085 in 2023. About 69% of migrants in 2024 were Venezuelan, they said.
Many Venezuelans are fleeing a prolonged economic collapse in the once-prosperous oil-producing South American country.
“We work every day to ensure that illegal migration does not reach Panama City or the rest of the country,” Mulino said in a speech to lawmakers on Thursday.
Mulino added that his government had deported 1,548 migrants on flights arranged through an agreement with the United States.
However, 209,000 Venezuelans who crossed the Darien last year were allowed to continue their journey as Panama and Venezuela suspended direct flights following Venezuela’s disputed July elections.
Analysts have warned that Panama’s measures may not ultimately be successful because they do not address the underlying problems that drive people to migrate and could make the journey even more dangerous.
