Compared to February 2024, the number of illegal US-bound immigrants passing through the dangerous Darien Jungle, which fell nearly 99% in February 2025, was revealed this week.
In recently published statistics ReportPanama's immigration authorities recorded a total of 408 immigrants passing the Darien Gap in February 2025. February 2024. Similarly, statistics for February 2025 show that the number of immigrants fell by 81.68% when compared to the 2,229 migrants recorded by the authorities in January 2025.
Of the February total, 151, detailed further in the Panama immigration authorities report, were Venezuelans, 43 Cameroonians, 22 Bangladesians, 21 Colombians, 17 Iranians and 16 Nepali nationals, with the rest making up citizens of other Latin American, African and Asian nations.
Darien Gap is a 30-mile, 100-mile long, dangerous jungle trail shared by neighbors Panama and Columbia, and is the only overpass connecting South and Central America. In recent years, the number of immigrants has increased, with mostly Venezuelans fleeing the socialist Maduro regime and passing the Jungle Trail towards the borders of the Southern United States.
Panama authorities recorded a record number of 520,085 immigrants that surpassed the Darien gap 2023 – More than twice the logged in 248,284 2022 And about 3.89 times higher than the 133,726 logs 2021.
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In February 2025, the month marked the lowest number of illegal immigrants passing through the Darien Gap since April to November 2020when local immigrant traffic halted as a result of the Uhan coronavirus pandemic lockdown.
According to official Panama statistics, an average of 33,510 migrants passed the Darien Jungle from January to June 2024 per month. After President Josera Ulmulino took office in July last year, the number of unprecedented immigrants began to collapse last year. Since then, Panama has enacted a series of policies, resulting in a noticeable decline in illegal immigration passing through dangerous jungle trails.
In addition to Murino's policies, migration of immigrants through Darien has plummeted dramatically since the election of President Donald Trump in November 2024.
Following the election results, it passes the Darien Gap half In November, the number of immigrants increased from 22,914 in October to 11,144 in November compared to the previous month. The immigration intersection fell further by about 43.50% in December, bringing just 4,849 that month.
Most notably, the latest statistics from Panama's immigration authorities show that Chinese citizens passing the Darien Jungle Trail in February are not logged.
Last year, Panama security officials launched a crackdown campaign in response to a noticeable illegal surge Chinese Immigrants passing through the country. The crackdown has led to the demolition of “VIP” route providers, which provide “safer” and faster routes on the jungle trails, which are primarily used by Chinese citizens. Since then, illegal Chinese migrations passing through the territory have plummeted from 2,911 in January 2024 to just five in January 2025 and zero in February.
President Trump's second term and crackdown on illegal immigrants in the United States reportedly has led to a new “reverse” movement flow that has passed “reversely” by thousands of migrants passing through other countries in the region.
Report Published In late February it was shown that the “reverse” immigration trend was experiencing a “upward trend.” In February, more than 2,000 southbound immigrants entered Panama through the border with Costa Rica. President Murino explained that migrants have entered Panama through Costa Rica after they have not entered the US through the southern border.
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“We are particularly committed to working with our other neighbors, Costa Rica, which is the gateway for all these people who have to help us enter Panama when it comes to their human rights,” Murino said.
Early February, Panama's Minister of Public Security Frank Abrego I met Together with his Costa Rican counterpart Mario Zamora, he deals with the reverse recovery rates of developing North and South immigrants. Both countries agreed to implement coordinated policies for the safe and orderly return of illegal immigrants to their respective countries of origin.
Abrego explained at the time that the two countries agreed to see migrants arrive at the Costa Rica centre before moving to the Panama location, pursuant to the terms of the deportation memorandum signed between Panama and the United States.
“We want to ensure an orderly, legal, humanitarian and safe flow of movement. The meeting marks the beginning of coordination to ensure migrants return to their country of origin on appropriate terms,” Zamora said during the meeting.
Both officials met again last week It was declared “ready” for the flow of reverse immigration from the United States. Zamora asked South American countries to encourage and open doors to the passage of return migrants.
Christian K. Calzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
