The number of people from countries such as Afghanistan, China and Iran coming through the key crossing linking Panama and Colombia has grown significantly over the past four years, according to a new report by a conservation group.
The report of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) – which represents low levels of immigration – looked at the increase in people migrating through the Darien Gap in the last four years from 2021, compared to 2010-2020. The report was first reported by Fox News Digital.
Citing statistics from Panama, it found that the number of Afghans passing through increased from 98 between 2010-2020, to 8,294 between 2021 and 2024, an increase of 8,363%. During that time, China’s population increased from 299 to 39,921. Iranian crossings increased from 14 to 935, while Syrians increased from 28 to 762.
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Haitian migrants rest as they cross the Darien Gap, near Acandi, Colombia, towards Panama, on September 26, 2021, on their way to try to reach the US (Raul Arboleda/AFP via Getty Images)
Overall, numbers increased in the Darien Gap from 115,758 between 2010 and 2020 to 1.18 million in 2021-2024.
There has been widespread concern about people from Afghanistan and China in the US. China is an enemy of the US, and Republicans have expressed concerns about espionage or cyber attacks from CCP members sneaking into the US.
“There have been many documented cases of Chinese people, under the guidance of the CCP, engaging in espionage, stealing military and economic secrets,” the lawmakers, led by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said last year.
Meanwhile, concerns about Afghan nationalism came to the fore when authorities disrupted an Election Day terrorist plot planned by an Afghan who was granted amnesty in the US as part of an exodus after the US pulls out of Afghanistan in 2021.
The report blames the problem that has hit Panama on “open border policies” in the US that “encourage migrants from all over the world to make long, expensive and dangerous journeys to reach the ‘El Dorado’ that is the United States.”
“Immigrants know that if they somehow get to the US border, they will be let into the country,” it argued.
DARIEN JUNGLE, A DANGEROUS ROUTE FOR MIGRANTS, GROWS AS PANAMA SEES UPTICK IN IMPORTS
Migrants, mostly Venezuelans, cross the river during their journey through the Darien Gap, hoping to eventually reach the US, Oct. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In total, it finds that between 2021-2024, at least 760,000 citizens from countries of “special interests” were met in the Gap – including nations with links to Hezbollah and other terrorist groups. The report, citing data from Panama, found that more than half of all those who crossed were elderly men.
The leading nations in 2024 to cross were Venezuelans, Colombians, Ecuadorians, Chinese and Haitians.
The numbers increased locally from just over 6,000 in 2020 to over 520,000 in 2023, and further down to 286,000 in 2024. Panama elected a new president in May who campaigned to end illegal immigration in the region, and has signed an agreement. and the US Under that agreement, the US government will pay the cost of repatriation of those who entered through the Darien Gap.
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The agreement said the US would support Panama with equipment, transportation and supplies to send migrants caught illegally entering Panama back to their countries. Meanwhile, there has been a sharp drop in immigration encounters at the US border this year, including a more than 55% drop in encounters after President Biden signed an executive order in June to reduce asylum in the US.
President-elect Trump, meanwhile, has promised to provide more security at the border and begin a massive deportation campaign after he takes office.
FAIR says in its report that Panama, even with the help of the United States, will not be able to fully correct the situation in the Darien Gap.
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“A lasting solution to the Darién Gap problem can only come from where the problem started, that is, when the American immigration policy stops encouraging illegal immigrants to take this dangerous journey,” it said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
