Migrants who once flooded the U.S. southern border under the Biden-Harris administration are now using the Darien Gap to head home or travel to other foreign countries instead of heading toward the U.S.
The border crisis, which became a major issue for both former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris during their campaigns, sawrecord-highencounters, with officials estimating a total of10.8 millionencounters since fiscal year 2021. With the new administration tightening immigration policies, migrants are reportedly in a reserve flow, returning home through routes like the Darien Gap,accordingto the Associated Press.
One major route used to travel to the U.S. southern border, the Darien Gapa dense jungle regionis now reportedly being used by migrants to flee from the U.S. border due to Trumps efforts to secure it. Smugglers, according to AP News, are charging between $200 and $250 per person to transport people back through this reverse flow, including minors.
In Trumps first month at the White House, both the U.S.-Mexico border and international crossing portswent quiet, with reports showing sharp declines in illegal migrant encounters. Since his inauguration, Trump has signed a series of executive orders aimed at ending taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal migrants, designating cartels and other organizations as foreign terrorist entities, and declaring a national emergency at the southern border.
Over the years, the Darien Gap has been a treacherous passage for illegal migrants due to the presence of organized crime and smugglers making as much as $14 million per day. Spanning 40 miles wide and 100 miles long between Panama and Colombia, over half a million migrants crossed through the Darien Gap in 2023, contributing to a record number of encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border that year.
However, in July 2024, Panamas National Border Service, which functions as the countrys version of border patrol, reported a 9,000-person drop in crossings from Colombia compared to the same time the year prior,creditingtheir efforts to reduce illegal migration through the Darien Gap.
Along with his executive orders, Trump gave Border Czar Tom Homan and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem the authority to direct U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to arrest criminal aliens, including rapists and murderers.
But, according to AP News, not all migrants are returning home despite the stricter border crackdown; some are heading to other countries. Theres no way Im going back to Venezuela. There are many of us who dont want to go back. They are going to Peru, Ecuador, Colombiajust like before, Celia Alcala, a woman waiting for a boat ride through the Darien Gap, told the outlet.
Since Trumps inauguration, the president has pushed to fulfill his campaign promise of conducting a mass deportation operation and addressing the border crisis, with one of his first actions being theshutdownof the CBP One app. The app, which gained popularity under Biden, had allowed an estimated 166 million asylum seekers to secure appointments with U.S. immigration officials over the past two years,accordingto CBS News.
When Trump arrived and eliminated the application (CBP One), all our hopes went up in smoke, 36-year-old Venezuelan Karla Castillo, traveling with her younger sister, told AP News.
With mass deportations still underway, it remains unclear exactly how many illegal migrants were exactly allowed to pass through the southern border under the Biden-Harris administration. However, Noemestimatedon Fox News that hundreds of thousands of criminal migrants have been allowed into the U.S. over the past four years, including thousands connected to gangs.
ANP is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.
ANP EMERGENCY Fundraiser: Dangerous, Derogatory, Harmful, Unreliable!Those are some of the exact words used by Googles censors, aka 'Orwelliancontent police,' in describing many of our controversial stories.Stories later proven to be truthful and light years ahead of the mainstream media. But because we reported those 'inconvenient truths' they're trying to bankrupt ANP.
Checks or money orders made payable to Susan Duclos can be sent to:
10510 South Ave
Poland, OH. 44514
Anything at all at Amazon purchased after clickingthis ANP link will allow ANP to make a bit of revenue, all of which will be used to keep ANP online and to keep a roof over our heads.
