Migrant crossings through long-troubled Darién Gap plummet to near zero amid Trump crackdown

Panama’s notorious Darien Gap, once a treacherous corridor for tens of thousands of U.S.-bound migrants, including dangerous criminals, is now virtually deserted amid President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown and Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino’s vow to shutter the deadly route. 

Migrant crossings in the remote 2,600-mile jungle trek connecting Colombia to Panama – which officials described as "notorious for exposing migrants, including children and the most vulnerable, to sexual abuse, trafficking, and exploitation" – have plummeted to just 10 in June, according to figures released by both the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Panama’s National Migration Service.

The new figures mark a staggering 99.98% drop from the route’s peak under the Biden administration in August 2023, when more than 82,000 migrants surged through t...