Panama — The irregular flow of migrants through the dangerous Darién jungle on the Colombia-Panama border — en route to North America — hit record numbers in 2022, with nearly 250,000 people in transit, mostly from countries like Venezuela and Ecuador, a phenomenon which some experts expect to continue this year, albeit possibly to a lesser extent and with different patterns following the recent US immigration measures.
Also read: What is Biden’s new plan for migrants from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua?
That number is nearly double the crossings recorded in 2021, when they reached 133,000 and were mostly operated by Haitians, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a report released Tuesday from Geneva, based on the records of the Immigration authorities based out of Panama.
This flow through the jungles of Darién — a remote province of Panama — has been ongoing for more than a decade, but it took a drastic turn in the past year as the number of Venezuelans choosing to travel this sometimes deadly route or along the Camino de Panama increased take a drastic turn coasts to reach the US. In all, 150,327 Venezuelans crossed the border, according to the report, up from nearly 3,000 in 2021.
Also notable is that the influx of Ecuadorians in 2022 increased from 330 to 29,356. These nationalities were followed by Haitians (22,435), Cubans (5,961), and dozens of other countries from Africa and Asia stricken by poverty and years of violence and armed conflict.
The Panamanian immigration authorities assure that hundreds of migrants continued to cross the Darién in the first two weeks of January, although they did not declare their nationalities.
“I don’t know what we will see in 2023, (but) I think it’s very difficult to reach the same number (from last year) because things have changed since October,” said the IOM Head of Mission to The Associated Press in Panama, Giuseppe Loprete.
He alluded to the immigration control measures announced by the United States government regarding Venezuelans, given the sharp increase this year in those attempting to cross the border with Mexico irregularly, including migrants avoiding the Darién .
Through their plan, the United States would first temporarily accommodate 24,000 Venezuelans who arrive by plane and have a sponsor in that country, leaving many stranded in Panama or returning from Costa Rica or other countries. Panama’s National Migration Service recently reported that 5,600 Venezuelan migrants have so far been sent back to their country on “humanitarian flights”.
“There was a drastic change, almost immediately,” Loprete said, referring to the fact that the transit of Venezuelans has been reduced. However, this has not happened with migrants of other nationalities, including from Ecuador, Haiti and Cuba, “where, for various reasons, there are critical situations, political and economic instability, violence,” added the IOM representative.
Meanwhile, at least 36 migrants died trying to cross the Darién last year, although the number could be higher as many perish in the jungle without their remains being reported or recovered, the IOM said.