Panama: Record Number of Migrants Cross Treacherous Darien Gap

Facts

• Panamanian authorities on Monday announced that nearly 250K people have crossed the treacherous Darien Gap — a dense jungle area separating South and Central America — in the first seven months of 2023.¹
• This record-breaking figure has surpassed the unprecedented number of crossings seen in the entirety of 2022, when 248,284 people hiked the 60-kilometer passage, used as a route to reach Canada and the US.²
• Official data shows that the month of July saw the greatest number of crossings at 52,530, up 77 percent from June. About a fifth of those who have crossed the jungle this year are minors, half of whom are under five years old.³
• Along the route, migrants — most of them from Venezuela, Haiti, Ecuador, and China — risk encountering wild animals, rivers, and criminal gangs. It is believed that many deaths that occur in the jungle go unreported.⁴
• This spike comes despite Colombia, Panama, and the US launching a trinational '60-day surge' campaign in April, focused on enhancing state presence in the Darien Gap to tackle criminal networks that facilitate the illicit movement of people.⁵
• The plan also included using new 'lawful and flexible' migration pathways, as well as the promotion of investment to reduce poverty and create jobs in the border communities in hopes of curbing irregular passage through the dangerous region.⁶

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²CNN, ³Reuters, ⁴France 24, ⁵Daily Caller and ⁶Associated Press.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Newsweek. Pres. Biden's Latin American outreach aimed at preventing dangerous journeys to the southern border has been an utter failure, as America continues to shrug off its obligations under international law. Millions of migrants are ineligible for consideration under 'humane' justifications due to prohibitive expense — this must change and the US must get serious about treating migrants with dignity.
• Right narrative, as provided by The Hill. As long as the US has a lax policy towards illegal immigration, more and more migrants will risk their lives to reach the border. The only solution to this crisis resides in Latin America, as millions upon millions of migrants are fleeing despotic authoritarian regimes. The US needs to work with immigration partners in Latin America to avoid inducing more illegal immigration.

Predictions