Panama’s Migration Policy Shift: Impact from Darien Jungle to US Border

The newly elected President has announced that he is considering closing the migration route, that is the busiest route with over 500,000 people using it till last year.

This shows a change from Panama's previous way. Previously, Panama has helped migrants by providing fast buses to continue their journey.


Experts reacting to Mulino’s move said that we must wait and see how it will be implemented. They pointed out that with very few government resources and staff, reducing or blocking the migration chain from the area would be challenging.

After winning the election with 34% of the vote, Mulino stated, “Panama and our Darien are not a transit route. It is our border.”

As promised during his campaign, the 64-year-old lawyer and former security minister reaffirmed his commitment to halting what he referred to as “the Darien odyssey, that does not have a reason to exist.”

The migratory route through the narrow isthmus has seen a rapid increase in recent years, reportedly with support from Colombia, making it possible for migrants to be smuggled in with the help of organized crime.

Migrants are using this dangerous land route, despite the risks involved. There have been numerous crime cases reported, including sexual assault, murder, manslaughter, robbery, and attempts to cross rivers.

Around 147,000 migrants have reached Panama by using the Darien route.

Although Mulino said he would close this route, it's important to note that previous attempts to close routes have resulted in migrants finding riskier alternatives.

Giuseppe Loprete, the chief of mission in Panama for the U.N.’s International Organization for Immigration, stated, “People migrate for many reasons and frequently don’t have safe, orderly, and legal ways to do it. When legal routes are not convenient, migrants has the risk of turning to criminal networks, traffickers, and dangerous routes, often deceived by misinformation.”

While Mulino's plan to close down routes may initially work, it's rare to remain effective for long as soon migrants can find other risky routes.