More than 60% of the 109,000 migrants who crossed the dangerous Darién jungle, the natural border between Panama and Colombia, during the first quarter of 2024 are Venezuelans, followed at a great distance by Ecuadorians, the Panamanian Government reported this Sunday.
Between January 1 and March 31, 2024, 109,069 irregular migrants have passed through the Darién jungle, revealed the Ministry of Public Security on the social network a figure that represents a historical record compared to the 87,390 of the same period last year.
Thus, 36,001 migrants passed through in January, 37,165 in February and 35,903 in March, compared to 24,634, 24,657 and 38,099, respectively, in 2023.
“The nationalities with the highest income during 2024 are: Venezuelan 69,568, Ecuadorian 8,912, Haitian 7,253 and Colombian 7,030,” detailed the Ministry of Public Security, which accompanied the message with the slogan of its campaign ‘Darién is not a route’, with which it tries to encourage other migratory routes to North America.
The increase in migrants through the Darién on their way to the US or Canada in search of better living conditions has been progressive since 2021, reaching the record number of more than 520,000 in 2023, double that of the previous year and for 2024 an increase of up to 20% compared to the previous year is expected.
In 2023, Venezuelans were also the citizens who crossed the Darien the most, with 328,667, followed by Ecuadorians with 57,222, Haitians 46,558, and Chinese 25,344.
The dangers that migrants must face in the Darién jungle are numerous, from natural ones, with sudden flooding of rivers or attacks by wild animals, to the presence of bandits who steal and rape, or the lack of drinking water. , often contaminated by the excrement or corpses of other migrants.
Once the jungle has been overcome, Panama registers migrants upon arrival at indigenous populations or at migratory reception centers (shelters) where they are given shelter and food. and then coordinate the departure by bus to Costa Rica, a trip that they must pay for themselves.
The Panamanian authorities have toughened the discourse towards the transit of migrants through the jungle and insist that this is a “business” of organized crime.
They have also criticized the work of important humanitarian organizations such as Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
MSF suspended its medical and humanitarian care in the Darien at the beginning of this month by “order” from the Panamanian government, which accused that NGO of sending “incomplete” reports of migrants who were victims of sexual violence during their journey through the jungle.
The health organization had reported that in 2023 they provided comprehensive medical care to 676 migrant victims of sexual violence in Darién, and only in January of this year they had registered 120 more cases, “one act of sexual violence every three and a half hours.”
Keep reading:
• No more care for migrants in Darién: Doctors Without Borders suspend aid by “order” from Panama
• City in the United States will stop receiving more undocumented migrants: “We will not accept them”
• 6 points you should know about the new changes in CBP One to request an asylum appointment in the US.
2024-03-31 23:58:14
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