Arr, Panama and Costa Rica be joinin' hands to transport them Darien Gap migrants, makin' their journey to the US border a wee bit faster!
2023-10-11
Arr, me hearties! Panama an' Costa Rica be teamin' up fer a grand busing plan, aidin' thousands o' brave souls crossin' the treacherous Darien Gap on their quest to North America. May they find smooth sailin' 'pon this perilous voyage!
Panama and Costa Rica have devised a plan to swiftly transport thousands of migrants through Panama to the Costa Rican border, in an effort to address the escalating influx of migrants navigating the treacherous Darien Gap. Panama estimates that over 420,700 migrants have crossed this jungle-clad region from Colombia to Panama so far this year, with the full-year figure likely to surpass half a million.The arduous journey through the Darien Gap has now been streamlined by industrial-scale smuggling operations in Colombia, reducing the crossing time to just over two days for the fittest walkers. To further expedite the migrants' journey to the US border, Panama has introduced a fast-tracked bus service, diminishing the overall travel time to approximately two and a half weeks.
Panama's objective with this new plan is twofold. Firstly, they hope that disrupting the smuggling networks charging migrants to traverse the country will deter illegal activities. Additionally, by providing swift transportation, they aim to alleviate overcrowding at reception camps in Panama, where migrants rest after completing the Darien Gap trail.
On Tuesday, Panama's National Immigration Service transported nearly 1,600 migrants to a Costa Rican migrant center in Corredores, just within Costa Rica's borders. This initiative comes after a joint campaign by the US, Panama, and Colombia in April to slow migration through the Darien jungle, which has failed to curb the increasing numbers of migrants. The majority of these migrants originate from Venezuela, along with individuals from Ecuador, Colombia, and Haiti.