Illegal immigration through the Darién Gap rose 50% after the Venezuelan election

Illegal immigration through the Darién jungle grew significantly last September. According to Panamanian government data, 51% more people crossed through this border region with Colombia than in August. Most of them were Venezuelans who fled the country after the presidential election.

Migrants from Venezuela were always one of the largest groups  crossing the dangerously dense, mountainous expanse that is the Darién Gap. However, after the tumultuous electoral process in Venezuela, Venezuelans rose to 80% of those crossing the jungle. That's 15% more than the 2023 annual average.

"The crackdown in the wake of the July 28, 2024 elections in Venezuela has led to an increase in immigration," an official from Refugees International told the AP. This NGO made a report presented Friday that is based on dozens of interviews with migrants in reception stations in Panama and Costa Rica.

This increase from August to September comes even after the change of power in Panama, where new President José Raúl Mulino promised to tackle the problem of illegal immigration that has turned Panama into a pitstop for tens of thousands of migrants heading to the United States each year.

However, Mulino's initiatives have no traction among Venezuelan immigrants, as Nicolás Maduro's regime prevents the return of illegal immigrants to Venezuela. It is a situation faced by both the United States and Panama, with whom Caracas severed diplomatic relations after Mulino accused the regime of sabotaging the presidential election in which the opposition reportedly received a majority of the votes.

According to AP, as of Oct. 7, the number of migrants who had crossed through the Darién Gap this year was 277,939, 36% less than in the same period of 2023, according to the Panamanian Security Ministry.

However, the same data showed a sharp increase in September compared to August. Records show that 25,111 migrants crossed last month, 51% more than in August, with more than 80% of them Venezuelans. The figures also included Colombian, Ecuadorian and Chinese nationals, along with dozens of other nationalities.

Despite the refusal to accept migrant returns, Nicolas Maduro's regime maintains a discordant message when addressing the Venezuelan diaspora. On several occasions, the autocrat has invited those who emigrated to return to Venezuela, which has a significant human capital drain due to the severe economic and social crisis in the country.