Migration through Panama’s perilous Darien Gap hits all-time high

The number of people crossing the treacherous Darien Gap linking Panama and Colombia hit an all-time high in the first seven months of the year, figures released on Monday showed, with July seeing a sharp jump despite recent efforts to curb the trend.
Official data showed 248,901 people walked through the jungle area between January and July, already surpassing therecord of 248,284 recorded for the whole of 2022, with most aiming to reach the United States, according to data from Panama’s Security Ministry.
Entries to Panama from Colombia through the jungle region have continued to rise despite a two-month program launched in April by the United States, Panama and Colombia to tackle undocumented immigration.
July recorded the most crossings, with 52,530 people taking part in the dangerous journey, up 77% from June, mostly from Venezuela, Haiti and Ecuador, according to the data.
The flow of migrants has skyrocketed from previous years, despite the start of the rainy season, Panama’s Security Minister Juan Pino said earlier this month.