Economic bust follows drop in migration through Darien Gap: AP

• Migration through the Darien Gap surged under President Biden, boosting the local economy as migrants paid for transportation, food and supplies. However, since President Trump took office and border crossings slowed, that income has vanished, leaving locals struggling.
• The Darien Gap is a dangerous stretch of dense jungle and swamp located on the border between Panama and Colombia.
• Once-thriving residents now face economic uncertainty, with some turning to crafts or gold panning to survive.

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The Darien Gap is a dangerous stretch of dense jungle and swamp located on the border between Panama and Colombia. In recent years, it became a major route for migrants from South America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia trying to reach the U.S.

However, after President Donald Trump’s immigration policies made entering the U.S. much more difficult, locals told the Associated Press that the business they would receive from migrants traveling through the region has largely dried up.

Despite the dangers, thousands of migrants attempted to cross the Darien Gap each month in search of better opportunities. It’s one of the most treacherous parts of their journey north.

In 2021, migration to the United States surged after President Biden rescinded the “Remain in Mexico” policy, and people fled gang violence, poverty and political instability in their home countries.

Record numbers crossed the gap

The New York Times conducted an analysis in December that revealed between 2021 and 2023, an average of 2.4 million migrants per year entered the United States, mostly through the southern border.

In 2023, a record 520,000 migrants crossed the Darien Gap, Reuters reported in January 2024.

Those migrants brought an economic boom to historically underdeveloped areas as they paid for boat rides, clothing and meals during the long, sometimes deadly treks, the Associated Press reports.

Economic activity grinds to a halt

People who live near the Darien Gap say business was booming when President Biden was in office. Now that migration to the United States under President Trump has dwindled, so has the economy they became dependent on, The Associated Press reports.

Once President Trump took office in January and migrant crossings at the U.S. southern border came to a halt, so did the money to those helping migrants through the Darien Gap. Now, those people are scrambling for alternatives to bring the economy back.

Pedro Chami, 56, a plantain farmer-turned-boat pilot who helped transport migrants across the river, spoke to AP reporters. He said that because his boat fares brought in about $300 a day, significantly more than the $150 he made a month growing plantains, he all but abandoned his crops.

Now, however, he sits outside his home, carving wooden pans and hoping to try his luck sifting through river sand for flecks of gold as he waits the roughly nine months it’ll take for his crops to regrow.

“Before, I would always have my $200 a day without fail. Now, I don’t even have a cent,” Chami told the AP.

Families feeling the impact

Another Panamanian family says they made great money during the migration –– selling water, soda and snacks to migrants –– which allowed them to pay for a new bed, washing machine and refrigerator. The family says they’re not sure what to do next, but they do have some savings.

“When another government enters, you never know what opportunities there will be,” the Concepción family told the AP.

Migrant flow falls to a trickle

At the peak of the migration, Panamanian officials told the AP that about 2,500 to 3,000 people were crossing the Darien Gap each day. Now, that number is down to about 10 a week.