Number of unaccompanied migrant children in Latin America and the Caribbean hits record high, UNICEF reports

A record number of unaccompanied migrant minors have traveled through Latin America and the Caribbean this year, according to estimates from UNICEF, the United Nations children's agency.

Some 3,800 children migrated alone through the Darien Gap, a treacherous jungle route between Colombia and Panama in just the first 10 months of 2024. That's compared with 3,300 in all of 2023. Children represent a quarter of migrants in the region, according to UNICEF. 

Of the migrants that traveled to the United States last year, the Office of Refugee Resettlement handled over 118,000 unaccompanied minors.