Q24N (EFE) The number of migrants to Panama through the Darien jungle, the natural border with Colombia, fell by 40% so far this year compared to the same period in 2023, totaling 296,411 people, the Panamanian National Migration Service (SNM) reported on Wednesday.
“According to statistical data from the SNM, at the time of writing this note, a total of 296,411 people have entered Panama irregularly, through the dangerous Darien Jungle, showing a difference of less than 194,439 people at this time vs. the year 2023, which reflects a decrease of -40%, compared to the previous year,” said a statement from the government entity.
In 2023, the historic figure of more than 520,000 irregular migrants arrived in Panama after crossing the jungle and on their journey to North America, mainly the United States. More than 20% of them were minors.
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Panamanian authorities attribute the drop in the migratory flow to measures such as the closure of trails (unauthorized crossings) in the jungle, the repatriation program underway with the cooperation of the United States, and also to the rainy season, which makes passage through the jungle extremely difficult, with overflowing rivers and swampy roads.
The majority of those who cross the Darien bound for the north of the continent are Venezuelans. As of October 31, there were more than 196,000, according to official data cited by the Panamanian president, José Raúl Mulino, while the rest are citizens of Latin American and Caribbean countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, as well as Africans and Asians.
More than 800 Colombians deported in recent months
Panama and the United States signed an agreement on July 1, when Mulino assumed his five-year term, through which the US government covers the costs of repatriating migrants who have entered through Darien and under this program – endowed with US$6 million dollars – just over a thousand people have already been deported, most of them Colombians.
Panama’s immigration said on Wednesday that 24 charter flights have already been carried out within the framework of the agreement and that a total of 858 Colombians have been deported and/or expelled from the country.
The last 26 Colombian citizens left this Wednesday for Medellin, Colombia, added the SNM.
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The Venezuelans are not covered by the repatriation program given that Panama and Venezuela maintain suspended diplomatic relations following the presidential elections earlier this year. Read more: Panama demands electoral transparency and suspends relations with Venezuela
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