Panama reports a sharp decline in irregular migration through the Darien Gap | Migration news

Number of migrants and asylum seekers passing through Darien Gap – the dangerous belt of jungle that connects South and North America – has decreased by almost 41 percent in the past year.

On Thursday, Panama’s right-wing President Jose Raul Mulino announced the drop, characterizing it as a success in the country’s efforts to limit irregular migration.

“We have achieved a 41 percent reduction in the flow of migrants crossing the Darien jungle,” Raul Mulino said in a speech to Panama’s Congress.

“We work every day to ensure that illegal migration does not arrive [Panama City] or the rest of the country.”

Panama in the face of pressure to curb irregular migration in recent years, as the number of migrants and asylum seekers traveling north has reached record highs.

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

It was a new high point for the US and led to a political backlash, with immigration featuring prominently in the country’s 2024 general election.

For example, President-elect Donald Trump — the winner of the 2024 presidential race — has promised to follow “mass deportation” campaign upon assuming office on January 20.

Likewise, in Panama, in 2023 broke records for migrants and asylum seekers sailing through the Darien Gap.

An estimated 520,085 people have passed through the dangerous jungle, known for its steep terrain, swift rivers and criminal networks.

But in 2024, Panamanian immigration authorities recorded a sharp drop in the number of people risking their lives in the jungle. About 302,203 crossed the Darien Gap last year.

The US has similarly seen a drop in numbers at its southern border. In fiscal year 2024, US Customs and Border Protection documented 2.14 million irregular “encounters” with migrants and asylum seekers, a 14 percent decrease.

In November alone, the lowest monthly total number of irregular border crossings was recorded in the four years of US President Joe Biden’s term.

However, the USA has tried to suppress irregular migration in recent months. Last year, Biden implemented harsh measures limiting access to asylum to those who cross the US-Mexico border outside official channels.

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

Biden also threatened to suspend asylum applications in total if the average daily number of irregular border crossings reaches 2,500 per day.

Critics warned these measures could violate international and American humanitarian law, by limiting the ability of asylum seekers to urgently escape persecution.

But supporters of the new policies argued that they were necessary to curb irregular migration.

The US has also been pushing its allies in South and Central America to limit irregular migration to the north.

Panama and the USA, for example, have signed agreement in July to “close the passage of illegal migrants” through the Darien Gap, with the US offering to fund deportation flights and other logistics.

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

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

Mulino revealed in December that at least 55 migrants and asylum seekers had died during the 2024 Darien Gap voyage, and an estimated 180 children were abandoned.

Given the inhospitable nature of the terrain, some bodies are never reported or found.

Critics point out that efforts to crack down on irregular migration often ignore the underlying issues that drive migrants and asylum seekers to life-threatening journeys in the first place.

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

There, human rights experts warn of abuses of power, especially after a contested presidential race which saw 2,000 arrested and 23 killed in post-election protests.

Venezuela has also suffered from economic turmoil that has prevented many residents from accessing essentials such as food and medicine. About 7.7 million people left the country.