Migrants attempting to reach the United States through the dangerous jungles of the Darién Gap have dropped by 99%, a dramatic decline that the White House celebrated in praise of the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
According to Migración Panama, an immigration and naturalization service in Panama, only 408 migrants crossed the Darién Gap from Colombia into Panama in February, the lowest since November 2020, when 365 traveled the path during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 408 total is down from the more than 37,000 reported last February and 24,000 in February 2023.
In January, 2,229 migrants crossed the Darién Gap into Panama from Colombia. For the year 2023, Migración Panama recorded a total of 520,085 instances of irregular traffic through the Darién Gap. In 2024, the Panama agency recorded a total of 302,203 instances of irregular transit through the region.