The number of migrants and asylum seekers traversing the Darien Gap — the treacherous strip of jungle connecting South and North America — has fallen by nearly 41 percent in the last year.
On Thursday, Panama’s right-wing President Jose Raul Mulino announced the decline, touting it as a success for 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 told Panama’s Congress in a speech.
“We work every day to ensure that illegal migration does not reach [Panama City] or the rest of the country.”
Panama faced pressure to crack down on irregular migration in recent years, as the number of migrants and asylum seekers travelling north hit 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.
That was a new high-water mark for the US, and it led to a political backlash, with immigration featuring prominently in the country’s general elections in 2024.
For instance, President-elect Donald Trump — the victor in the 2024 presidential race — has pledged to pursue a “mass deportation” campaign upon taking office on January 20.
Likewise, in Panama, 2023 broke records for migrants and asylum seekers navigating the Darien Gap.
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