Panama, Costa Rica agree to a plan to speed migrants passing through from Darien Gap
Panama and Costa Rica are facing a huge increase in the number of migrants moving through the jungle-clad Darien Gap
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Panama and Costa Rica announced a plan to quickly bus thousands of migrants through Panama to the Costa Rican border, as the countries continue to grapple with a steady increase in the number of migrants moving through the jungle-clad Darien Gap.
Panama estimates that 420,700 migrants have crossed the Gap from Colombia to Panama so far this year, making it likely the full-year number will top a half million.
Industrial-scale smuggling operations in Colombia have now reduced the dangerous crossing to a little over two days for the strongest walkers. The expedited bus service in Panama will likely decrease further the amount of time migrants take to reach the U.S. border, now down to about two and a half weeks.
Panama hopes the new plan will disrupt the smuggling networks that charge migrants to get through the country, as well as reduce crowding at reception camps in Panama where migrants stay once they exit the Darien Gap trail.
Panama's National Immigration Service said 30 buses carried a group of almost 1,600 migrants Tuesday from Panama to a Costa Rican migrant center in Corredores, just inside Costa Rica.
In April, the U.S., Panama and Colombia announced a campaign to slow migration through the Darien jungle, but migrants’ numbers have only grown forcing the Biden administration to seek other options.
The majority of the migrants are from Venezuela, with others from Ecuador, Colombia and Haiti.
____
Follow AP’s global migration coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/migration