Panama City, Panama.- Irregular migrant crossings through the Darien Gap, the dangerous jungle separating Panama from Colombia, fell by 34 percent in July compared to the previous month, official figures showed on Thursday, after the new government of the isthmus implemented measures to curb migration flows, including blocking several crossings with barbed wire.
In the seventh month of the year, 20,519 migrants crossed the Darien, up from 31,049 in June, well below the 55,000 who crossed in July 2023, official figures shared with Reuters showed.
The dangerous Darien jungle saw a record number of just over half a million migrants crossing last year in search of safety and better economic opportunities, mostly in the United States. The vast majority of those migrants are from Venezuela, but there have also been growing numbers from China, Afghanistan and other nations.
Panama’s new president, José Raúl Mulino, took office in early July promising to crack down on irregular migration and announcing a deal with the United States for Washington to cover the costs of deporting migrants who cross the Central American nation illegally.
However, analysts believe the measure – which is expected to start in October at the latest – is unlikely to succeed and could instead make travel even more dangerous.
Despite the drop in migration through Darien, Mulino said Thursday that he did not rule out an increase in the flow of Venezuelans, following the worsening of the political crisis in the South American country following the controversial presidential elections that saw Nicolás Maduro re-elected.
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