Northbound Migration Through the Darien Gap

Measures have been taken to keep people closer to their countries of origin.

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Panama's Darien Gap Migration Decreases

(click to enlarge)

Panama and Costa Rica lay along one of the most important transit routes for American migrants, the majority of whom are fleeing the poor living conditions and violence in Venezuela. Those coming from outside the Western Hemisphere – mostly from China and African countries – come to South America before venturing north. Notably, certain measures have been taken to make it more difficult for them to enter South America; Ecuador, for example, has reinstated visa requirements for Chinese travelers.

The United States has strong ties with both Costa Rica and Panama, and it has every intention to leverage those ties to stem the flow of migrants before they can reach the U.S. border. To that end, Washington in 2023 introduced safe migration offices in Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, Colombia and Ecuador that can process claims from migrants seeking asylum status in the U.S. The idea is for migrants wait for their case to be resolved legally closer to their country of origin. In addition, the US has arranged a program to support Panama’s attempts to deport irregular migrants by providing air transit back to Colombia and select countries of origin.

For their part, Costa Rica and Panama have instituted a joint busing system to shuttle migrants into Nicaragua who enter via the Darien gap. This, too, is meant to ensure safety, reduce passage time and limit the amount of time migrants spend in country.