Panama reports sharp drop in irregular migration through Darien Gap
Al Jazeera
The Central American country notched a 41 percent decline in Darien Gap crossings in 2024 over the previous year.
The number of migrants and asylum seekers traversing the Darien Gap — the treacherous strip of jungle connecting South and North America — has fallen by nearly 41 percent in the last year.
On Thursday, Panama’s right-wing President Jose Raul Mulino announced the decline, touting it as a success for the country’s efforts to limit irregular migration.
“We have achieved a 41 percent reduction in the flow of migrants crossing the Darien jungle,” Raul Mulino told Panama’s Congress in a speech.
“We work every day to ensure that illegal migration does not reach [Panama City] or the rest of the country.”
Panama faced pressure to crack down on irregular migration in recent years, as the number of migrants and asylum seekers travelling north hit record highs.
