Panama's President José Raúl Mulino has announced the closure of migrant transit centers along the Darién Gap, a jungle corridor that has served as a major route for over a million migrants heading north since 2016.
According to Mulino, the number of people crossing through the region en route to the United States has dropped by 98% in the last year, largely due to mass deportations ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump, which have deterred many from continuing their journey north. Some migrants are even using the route in reverse, returning to their home countries.
"We will not allow more migrants in the Darién region, and we are closing an operation that began in 2016," Mulino stated in a press conference. He described the closure as a significant achievement for both regional and Panamanian security. On the same day as his announcement, NBC reported that Trump has requested the Pentagon to draft plans for taking control of the Panama Canal, a crucial economic asset for the country.
The Darién Gap has primarily been traversed by Venezuelans fleeing economic collapse, as well as Colombians, Ecuadorians, and even migrants from distant nations such as Vietnam, Afghanistan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The treacherous passage from Colombia has long been controlled by paramilitary groups profiting from smuggling operations, charging migrants approximately $350 each to cross. Many have died along the way due to river surges, criminal violence, and exposure to the harsh jungle environment.
Numerous NGOs and UN agencies assisted in providing shelter, clean water, and food. The influx of migrants also had a profound impact on local Indigenous communities, particularly the Emberá people, who relied on transporting migrants by boat and offering lodging and food for income, as El País reports. The closure of the route represents a severe economic setback for these communities.
According to Mulino, the decline in migration has been dramatic.
"A year ago, we had 36,841 migrants crossing the Darién. This March, we recorded only 112. A significant drop, representing a 97-98% success rate for Migration authorities and Senafront"
As reported by Axios, using data collected by Migración Panama and reviewed by the human rights advocacy group Washington Office on Latin America, only 408 migrants traveled northward through the jungle in February, compared to nearly 82,000 in August 2023.
Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, had previously promised to "shut down" the Darién Gap, and experts suggest migrants and smugglers may be pausing to assess how enforcement measures unfold.
Boston College law professor Daniel Kanstroom told Axios that Mexico's increased migrant interceptions and uncertainty over U.S. asylum policies are likely contributing to the current decline. However, he noted that migration trends are cyclical. "It's a temporary low," Kanstroom said. "The forces that move people north have not changed."
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