Panama’s Darien Gap Crackdown Triggers Riskier Migrant Routes: Rising Tensions and Deadly Journeys
The Darien Gap, a treacherous stretch of jungle between Colombia and Panama, has long been a perilous route for migrants fleeing political turmoil and economic collapse. However, recent efforts by Panama’s new president, José Raul Mulino, to seal off this notorious human and drug smuggling corridor may force migrants to take even more dangerous paths in their pursuit of safety.
Mulino, who assumed office in July 2024, has enforced strict new security measures aimed at addressing the humanitarian crisis in the Darien Gap. Five out of six known jungle routes have been barricaded with barbed wire, and the U.S. has pledged $6 million to fund deportation flights for those caught crossing illegally.
In the past three months, seven planes have deported migrants back to Colombia, Ecuador, and even as far as India. These migrants are part of the staggering 520,000 people who braved the journey last year, most of them fleeing the economic collapse in Venezuela and, increasingly, China.
The Darien Gap spans 97 kilometers (60 miles) of unforgiving terrain, where migrants must wade through rivers, traverse mud, and climb the ominously named “Death Mountain.” This year alone, more than 250,000 people have risked their lives crossing the jungle, according to data from the Panamanian government.
Despite a 35% decrease in crossings since the new security measures took effect, the humanitarian crisis persists. Advocates like Anahi Selum warn that the crackdown may push migrants toward riskier routes by sea. “Even if the authorities close the jungle, the migration phenomenon won’t stop,” she said. “People will just go around it, and many more deaths will occur as they attempt sea crossings.”
Panama’s efforts to close off the Darien Gap may face challenges due to the lucrative human smuggling trade, controlled by Colombia’s powerful Gulf Clan cartel. In a W5 documentary, Narco Jungle: The Darien Gap, a Gulf Clan member revealed that migrants are forced to pay a “cartel tax” of hundreds or even thousands of dollars to traverse the dangerous routes through the jungle. The cartel profits enormously from the trade, which brings in hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
W5’s Managing Editor Avery Haines and her team documented the plight of migrants braving the Darien Gap, spending six harrowing days in the jungle with three Venezuelan families. The journey’s devastating human toll was clear: two young cousins separated from their families, a pregnant woman whose husband died en route, and a family of six who narrowly survived.
Haines and her crew followed these families as they emerged from the jungle, continuing their treacherous journey atop Mexico’s notorious “death train” and interviewing Mexican human smugglers along the way. Their stories are part of the upcoming CTV special Avery Haines Investigates, airing Saturday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m., which captures both the heartwarming reunions and heartbreaking losses these migrants endure.
Source: CTV W5
